Jealousy
by 7yearsdungeon
Summary: SasuNaru With the distractions of war and revenge a thing of the past, Naruto and Sasuke begin to face the emotions they had been neglecting for so long.
1. Chapter 1

After weeks of peer pressure from his comrades, Naruto finally found himself sitting across from HInata on a picnic bench. The sun was beaming down on them and not a single cloud could be spotted in the bright blue sky above. With the help of an overly enthusiastic Sakura, there was a magnificent spread of homecooked food layed out between them.

"I'm so glad you asked me to join you for lunch today, Naruto-kun! But you really didn't need to go through all of this trouble..." Pale cheeks were turning pink as she stared down at her lap, tapping her index fingers together.

"Don't worry about it!" The blond haired boy flashed his signature goofy grin as he scratched the back of his head. "I wanted to do it, you're always so nice to me and stuff...just consider it a thank you for being such a good friend." Not to mention the fact that he had nothing to do with it. Sakura refused to let him help. A wise decision on her part considering the only cooking experience he had was making instant cup ramen.

"Mm" Hinata finally looked up from her lap and her violet eyes met bright blue as the pink in her cheeks began to spread. It still didn't feel real to her, being here with none other than Naruto Uzumaki, the boy she had loved for so long.

The blond began fidgeting with the bottom of his faded orange T-Shirt as he attempted to think of a good conversation starter. He still wasn't quite sure what he was doing here with her. It wasnt that he didn't like Hinata, because he did, she was sweet, loyal, and very pretty. But somehow he was afraid he wouldn't be able to return her feelings and the last thing he wanted to do was lead the poor girl on. But, he did make a promise to Neji, and he always kept his word.

"You must be very happy to have your best friend back." Hinata was the first to break the awkward silence. "I couldn't help but notice that the two of you have been practically inseperable since his return." She smiled sweetly up at the blond as she played with the ends of her silky black hair.

"Heh, yeah, I am pretty happy about it!" Naruto flashed a huge grin as he leaned back and put his arms behind his head "I really missed that cocky bastard, ya know?" It had been about six months since the victory of the fourth great ninja war and since Sasuke had decided to stay in Konoha, Naruto had done his best to strenghten their relationship and they became closer than they had ever been.

"He seems happier than I remember. I'm sure it's because of you Naruto-kun." It seemed the more she spoke the pinker her face became.

"He's still the same old Sasuke really. Arrogant, blunt, really good at hiding his emotions...easily annoyed, that's definitely still the same, I can tell you first hand, trust me!" the whiskered nin laughed as he recalled all the times he had purposely tried to annoy the Uchiha. Each time resulted in the raven haired boy's fist meeting the top of Naruto's head.

"Oh" the shy nin giggled "Well those things may still be true about him but I've noticed him being a little more social and smiling a little more. I think coming back here was a really good decision for him to make." She met Naruto's gaze for a quick moment before turning away to stare out into the nearby forest.

"Definitely!" Naruto smiled largely again before it quickly faded. He knew Sasuke was trying desperately to earn the trust of his comrades back, coming to group events, smiling at the jokes people made...but Naruto knew Sasuke better than anyone and he knew Sasuke wasn't as happy as he led on. Sasuke was still hurting, he could see it every time he looked into his eyes. But Naruto convinced himself that the fact Sasuke was trying was a good thing and that eventually things would get easier for the Uchiha.

The two sat in mostly silence as they finished their meal. Naruto commented on the progress of Konoha's reconstruction and Hinata had casually mentioned the lovely weather they had been having. But, for the most part, they hadn't had must to talk about.

"Thank you for the meal, Naruto-kun. It was very good." She smiled brightly at her crush as she stood up from the table "I need to get back to the hospital but I hope to see you again soon."

"Yeah, maybe we could do this again some time. Sooner than later for sure!" Naruto inwardly cursed himself for saying this. What was he thinking? What happened to not wanting to lead her on? He flashed a toothy grin anyway and she smiled back and bowed before making her way towards the hospital.

_Damn it, damn it, damn it!_

Naruto began to wonder what was wrong with him. He should be attracted to her, he should be flattered and excited that she took an interest in him. Most of the guys in Konoha would kill to have a shot with her. So why wasn't he jumping at the opportunity?

Naruto stood and gathered the leftover food and trash, placing them in the basket he borrowed from Sakura before heading back towards town to get back to the re-build. As he walked past a row of shrubbery he was thrown off gaurd as two women jumped out and suddenly appeared before him. His heart nearly escaped through his throat as he yelled in surprise and jumped back, the basket landing several feet away with its contents flying through the air and littering the ground.

"What the hell! Sakura, Ino, what are you doing here?!" The blond clutched his chest as he tried to regulate his breathing.

"Oh, nothing, just spying on you." Ino smirked and placed a hand on her hip in the sassiest way she could manage.

"It looked like it went well! So spill, are you two dating yet? I didn't see you kiss her, you should have kissed her!" Sakura was pulling on Naruto's arm as she pried for information.

"Uh...no we're not dating...and why the hell were you spying on me? You guys are so creepy!" He pulled his arm out of the grasp of the pink haired nin and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Quit playing matchmaker, guys. If it happens, it happens. You're not supposed to force things things, ya know!"

"Boo, you're no fun, Naruto." Ino scrunched her face in disappointment. "Hinata's so pretty and sweet and most importantly she's been in love with you since forever! What more do you want, jeeze."

"It's not that I dont like her" His blue eyes stared at the ground as he sighed. "I'm just not ready to get serious with her, that's all."

"Clearly, you two need to go on a few more dates then." Sakura said this matter-of-factly as she crossed her arms and stuck out her hip. "I'll arrange the next one for you since you're too much of a sissy to do it yourself"

"Fine, whatever. I need to go, okay? I've really got to get back to helping with the reconstruction, you guys are gonna make me late." The blond rolled his eyes as he went back to gather everything for a second time and finally made his escape.

~0~o~0~

"How was your date?" the raved haired nin asked in a bored tone as he began to hammer a nail into a slab of wood.

"It was okay" Naruto fidgeted with a tape measure and cursed under his breath.

"For christ's sake, usuratonkachi, slide the botton up to lock the ruler in place." He rolled his mismatched eyes at the blond's stupidity. "So your date with the Hyuuga girl was that bad, huh?"

"Shut up, Sasuke, you jerk." Naruto shot him an angry look before scetching on some wood with a pencil. "And I didn't say it was bad, ya deaf bastard, I said it was okay."

"If it was anything but bad you'd be enthusiastic, dobe. I know how you work. Cheery, always so damn cheery even if theres not much to be cheery about. So the fact that you aren't bragging about this and over romanticizing it, leads me to believe that it didn't go well." He stretched his pale arm out and grabbed the pencil from Naruto's hand and erased the line he had drawn and re-drew it at the proper length. "Tch".

"God forbid the line be slightly too long...it wasnt even by much! Jeeze, nitpicky jerk" Naruto narrowed his eyes at the Uchiha and frowned before grabbing a saw and returning to his work.

"It did go badly." The raven haired nin smirked in victory as he returned to his hammering.

"Shut up"

~0~o~0~

Naruto found himself sitting across from Hinata again but this time the location was in a qauint little restraunt, newly built of course, and because of it's short life in Konoha (and the lack of any other places to dine), it was packed with people and unpleasantly loud. The volume wouldn't have been an issue had he come here with anyone else, but he was here with a blushing shy girl who's voice was the softest he'd ever heard.

"The tea is wonderful, you should try it Naruto-kun." She clutched the cup in both of her hands and stared into it with a small smile on her face.

"What?"

"Um" The pale girl cleared her throat and looked up at the blond. "The tea...you should try it." her small smile still in place, and her cheeks that same shade of pink they always were when she had to conversate.

"Oh, yeah, sorry it's just kind of loud in here and you're so quiet." He smiled apologetically as he picked up his cup and sipped it.

"I'm sorry, I'll try to speak louder..." Her smiled faded as she stared at her lap and smoothed out the imaginary wrinkles in her skirt, feeling embarrassed.

Naruto stared out the window and watched as some young ninja ran around with their shiny new leaf village headbands. They wore huge smiles and were full of life and energy. Naruto thought back longingly to the early days of team 7 and let out a sigh. He envied their youth at times. Suddenly he felt as if Guy Sensei were starting to rub off on him.

"Is something wrong, Naruto-kun?" There was a look of concern on her fair skinned face and her violet eyes held a bit of sadness.

"Oh, no, nothing's wrong. I just spaced out for a minute. How are things at the hospital?" He quickly replaced his blank expression with a wide grin and squinty eyes.

"It's been pretty steady actually. Although missions are pretty scarce these days we still get a lot of injured ninja who had accidents during reconstruction. So I've been kept fairly busy." She forced herself out of her comfort zone to meet Naruto's eyes. She felt rude when she didn't make eye contact and she really wanted their date to go well.

"Yeah, Kiba fell off of a beam and sprained his ankle." Naruto erupted into laughter and Hinata stared at him in confusion. He noticed her expression and quickly explained. "Well, you see, he was asking Shikamaru to pass him a box of nails but he fell asleep so Kiba threw a fit, cursing at him, and flailing his arms around trying to wake him up and lost his balance. He looked like such an idiot. He's always getting all worked up over things." He started laughing again but stopped when he noticed the pale girl sitting across from him still wasn't finding the humor in his story.

The rest of the date was full of small talk and casual converstation. Naruto thought it better he didn't try to tell anymore funny stories as he realized her sense of humor was very different from his own.

"Hey, dobe, mind if I join you two?" Naruto's head shot up at the sound of the Uchiha's voice.

"Oh, hey, Sasuke. What are you doing here?" relief covered the wiskered nin's face.

The raven haired boy took a seat next to his friend and grabbed the blond's chopsticks, stealing a peice of meat from his plate. "I was just passing by and noticed the two of you. You seemed pretty bored so I thought I'd liven up the party." the tone of sarcasm was unmistakeable.

"We weren't bored, you cocky bastard! We were actually having a nice conversation until you showed up! Right Hinata?" He smiled at the girl in front of him that was beginning to resemble a tomato.

"Um...yes" She smiled weakly back at him.

"I see." The Uchiha was clearly not convinced. "Well after we finish the building we're working on today I thought we'd get some training in. It's been at least a week since our last sparring session and I don't want to get rusty." He turned to Naruto who was busy prying his chopsticks out of Sasuke's pale hand.

"Yeah, sounds good. I've been wanting to get some sparring in anyway." He flashed a victory grin as he reaquired his chopsticks and immediatly went back to stuffing his face.

"Alright. I'll see you at the construction site then. Later, loser." He stood up and turned his attention towards Hinata. "Hyuuga." He gave her a nod and went on his way.

"Don't mind him, Hinata. He's always like that so don't take it personally." She looked at him with a smile but her sad eyes gave her true feelings away.

A short while later they bid their farewells and parted ways. And Naruto was glad to be free.

~0~o~0~

-one month later-

The sun was setting over Konoha. The sky was a magnificent swirl of oranges, pinks, blues, and violet. Shadows spread from the trees and buildings confirming the end of another day as the world began to darken.

Naruto was sitting cross-legged utop his father's carving among the faces of past Hokage, looking out over the village. He was reaching out to capture a leaf that was dancing through the wind when he felt a familiar chakra behind him.

"Hey, teme."

The Uchiha smirked and took a seat to the right of the blond. He sat closely enough that Naruto took notice of their legs barely touching. A pink hue began to form on his cheeks.

"It's amazing isn't it?" Mismatched eyes stared out over their childhood home. "We've made so much progress in so short a time. The village is so close to being fully restored." His features softened as he continued to look ahead.

"Yeah, it really helped hiring all of those foreign contracters and stuff. And everyone has been so helpful. Even a lot of the women insisted on helping." Naruto began to twirl his captured leaf between the tips of his thumb and index finger as the wind threatened to reclaim it.

"Your crazy amount of shadow clones were a huge help as well." He smirked and turned to look at the blond. "They would have been a bigger help if you weren't such a dobe."

"Go to hell, Uchiha." his whiskered face scrunched in annoyance which only served to amuse the raven haired man who only responded with a quiet laugh.

"I bet you wouldn't speak to your precious girlfriend this way." he nudged Naruto's arm with his elbow and raised an eyebrow.

"You know damn well that Hinata isn't my girlfriend. We've only gone on like 5 dates and we only kissed once. It hasn't been made official or anything." He brought his knees up to his chest and hugged them tightly, hiding part of his face.

"You...kissed her?" The Uchiha clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. His face held an expression that was a mixture of hurt and anger.

"I meant to tell you sooner." He brought one hand up to push back his spikey blond hair which was in a chaotic frenzy as the unforgiving wind became more harsh. "It's just that I know you don't like her and every time I talk about one of our dates you get angry. So I was afraid of what you'd say if you knew I'd kissed her."

"Whatever, loser. It's your mouth you can put it where ever you want to." He turned his head in the oposite direction and his muscles became tense. The Uchiha was pouting.

"Listen, Sasuke. I know you think I could do better than Hinata, but I don't know...maybe she'd be good for me. Everyone keeps trying to push us together and she's a really nice girl. I'm thinking of giving her a chance. I am 17 after all. It's about time I get a girlfriend." He played with the zipper on his jacket as he spoke and sounded very uncertain about what he was saying.

Sasuke was losing his patience now. He snapped his head back towards the blond, his features sharper and his eyes unmistakably angry. "So that's it then? You're so pathetic and desperate that you'll just settle for anyone? You'll just ask this boring Hyuuga to be your girlfriend even though you're fully aware of how dull she is and you don't really enjoy the time you spend with her? You shouldn't settle for anything less than what you deserve, Naruto."

The wiskered nin's face was covered with shock. His mouth hung open slightly at the harsh words that came from his best friend. At first he thought to relaliate with some harsh words of his own but decided against it when he realized that his friend was only looking out for him.

"Im just tired of being alone." His bright blue eyes held such a sadness that the Uchiha had calmed down instantly, leaning towards him and lightly bumping Naruto's shoulder with his own.

"You're not alone, usuratonkachi. You have plenty of friends. And Kakashi sensei, Iruka sensei, and Tsunade-sama are always looking out for you. And, a best friend." His lips formed a cocky smirk.

Naruto smirked back at him. "Yeah, Sakura's a pretty good best friend." He laughed as the raven glared daggers. "But, I want an intimate kind of relationship. I want someone to tell me they love me every day and say 'welcome home'...I've never experienced that before, I've always been alone." He averted his eyes, fixing them on a brave caterpiller that had decided to fight against the wind.

"Having all of that taken away from you isn't so pleasant either." His mismatched eyes followed Naruto's gaze and spotted the brave caterpiller slowly inching towards whatever it's destination might be. He picked it up and returned it to the ground at least a foot back from where it strove so hard to get to, forcing it to walk all that distance a second time. He grinned devilishly.

"Oh my god, you sadistic bastard!" Naruto picked the caterpillar up and placed it farther than it had originally gotten. "You feed on the suffering of innocent souls, what the hell is wrong with you?!"

Sasuke responded with a quiet laugh and flicked the blonde's forehead.

"You know, even if you are the spawn of Satan, I really missed you. I'm so happy you're back...sometimes it still doesn't feel real." Naruto smiled a genuine smile that lit up his entire face despite the darkness that had fallen on them.

"Im glad I'm back too." He returned the smile for only a moment before it faded. "But if I'm being honest, it's been really hard." He frowned as he picked at the fabric of his black pants. "The stares and death threats have been getting to me...not because I care about what people think- I honestly couldnt care any less about what they think- its the fact that those things are constant reminders of the person I was and all of the horrible mistakes I made. Nobody want's me here and I really don't deserve to be here either."

"Sasuke..." The blond's eyes widened as he stared at his miserable friend. "Who you were doesn't matter! It's who you've become that really counts. It means so much more that you were able to see that the path you were on was wrong and had the courage to turn around and become a better person. You did what Obito and Madara couldn't until it was too late...you took your life back and you made an effort to right your wrongs and chose to live as a better man. You lost your way but finding your way back from the darkness is something you should be proud of. You're one of the strongest people I've ever met. And having you back in my life is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. And don't you ever say you don't belong here!"

His words were delivered with a passion that stunned the Uchiha into a silence that stretched for what seemed like several minutes. "Did...did you just own me with another talk-no-justu?" His tense facial expression softened. "If it weren't for your rediculously inspiring speeches who knows where I'd be right now? Probably dead. Or worse. So, thanks for that."

The two shinobi stared in silence at eachother for what seemed like an eternity. Naruto's bright blue eyes met with one onyx eye and one rinnegan. Bringing up his right hand, Sasuke brushed the bright blond hair out of the wiskered nin's face and within an instant their lips had crashed together, sending waves of electricity through both of their bodies.

Both men were lost in a moment of passion as they gave into their most secret desires. Pale arms wrapped around Naruto's torso pulling him onto his lap. Parting his lips, Sasuke slid his eager tongue into Naruto's mouth and grabbed a fist full of blonde hair. Naruto slid his hands beneath Sasuke's black cut-off shirt and traced his abdominal muscles, admiring the smoothness of his skin.

But this was wrong. _It was so wrong._

Naruto's hands retreated from underneath Sasuke's shirt as he jumped back and stared at him, he's eyes practically jumping out of their sockets. He tried to speak but failed. The raven haired nin opened his mouth and quickly closed it, as he was also at a loss for words. Panic and confusion settled into them as they realized what had just happened.

"I-I gotta go." Naruto stood up so fast he almost lost his balance and darted off towards the village.

"You spent all that time chasing after me and now you're just going to run away?!" Sasuke called out in desperation but to no avail as the blond was already far out of his sight. "Damn it!" He covered his face with pale hands and layed on his back, afraid of what would happen next, but he knew one thing for sure. Things were about to change.


	2. Chapter 2

**WARNING: Sensitive souls proceed with caution. This chapter contains more swear words than is probably necessary and there is sexy time. Graphic sexy time. But not TOO super graphic. Just beware, okay? Also, pretty sure this is quite a bit longer than my first chapter.**

**DISCLAIMER: Kishimoto-sensei created these beautiful sons of bitches and I am a mere peasant who just enjoys using them to play out my fantasies. Shame on me.**

~0~o~0~

Naruto burst through the door of his apartment and slammed it shut behind him. Breathing hard, he pressed his back against the door and slid down to the floor where he sat staring at nothing in particular, unable to really see his surroundings and lost in his mind where his thoughts were a chaotic mess.

He ran his hands through his hair and slowed his breathing. Could this really be happening? Where did that come from? Had he been suppressing those feeling for longer than he realized? He seemed to have a thousand questions but not a single answer. He looked around his empty apartment and spotted his Team 7 portrait resting on an end table. His eyes fixed on the image of Sasuke and thought back to earlier days. Had he wanted to kiss him then? No...he wanted to challenge him, wanted to befriend him...defeat him in a sparring match...but kiss him?

Why were things so different now?

Why was he noticing the way Sasuke walked with such an air of confidence? The way his dark hair framed his fair skinned face so perfectly? The way his pale lips curled into a smirk, his muscular arms exposed due to his sudden affinity for cut-off shirts, the faces he made when he was amused, when he was annoyed, when he was angry, happy, sad. Why were all of these things so beautiful to him now?

He buried his face in his hands feeling the heat radiating off of his skin. His eyes began to water and tears spilled into his palms. His body began to shake as he lost control and sobbed, letting it all out. The confusion, the anger, but most of all the fear.

No.

His sobbing came to an end as he stood and struck the wall with his fist, breaking through the plaster and leaving a hole. He shook off the pain and wiped away his tears wearing a look of determination.

This was a one time thing. He and his best friend had been caught up in a moment and that's all. They shared a bond stronger than most, understanding each other like no one else possibly could. They balanced eachother out perfectly. They were Yin and Yang. But lovers? No. They simply confused their feeling for romance. It was an occurance that would not re-occur.

He would pursue Hinata. He would explore his feelings for her and focus on their relationship. He would make them official. He would touch her the way he had touched Sasuke and realize that is was the touch of a woman that he really wanted and not his best friends'. He would pretend the events of this evening had never happened and continue his friendship with the Uchiha as if everything was fine. Because it was fine. There was nothing weird between them.

And Naruto was sure that Sasuke must have felt the same way.

~0~o~0~

It had been two weeks since Naruto and Sasuke's "incident" and Naruto was determined to get serious with Hinata. He had taken her out a few more times and had made an effort every day to spend time with her, no matter how breif. And Sasuke had noticed.

Things remained the same between the two friends. They sparred three times a week as per usual and spoke to eachother as if nothing had been out of the ordinary. They paired up to work on the reconstruction as they always had and neither dared speak a word of that night. Naruto was feeling content and relieved at the way things were going. Sasuke, however, felt frustration growing bigger with each passing day and constantly suppressed the urge to punch something.

The Uchiha leaned casually against the side of a small shop in the busy streets of Konoha's market place. He fixed his gaze several feet away from him, remaining in the shadows and hiding his chakra. He scowled as Naruto exchanged his money to a street vender for an ice-cream cone which he handed to Hinata. He clenched his fists as Naruto grinned widely at her and took her hand in his own. His body shook with anger as Naruto placed a kiss on the blushing woman's forehead.

_Why am I torturing myself?_

He turned away from the rage-enducing sight before him, and walked in the opposite direction. He weaved through the crowd of people keeping his angry expression aimed at the ground_. _Why was Naruto doing this? Was he fucking with him? Was he in denial? Or worse...was he really falling for the Hyuuga bitch?

He snapped out of his thoughts when he felt his shoulder slam against something. He looked up to see an angry looking man wearing a standard chunin uniform.

"Sorry" the raven haired nin mumbled before turning away. He was grabbed by the back of his navy blue cut-off and yanked back with harsh force.

"What the fuck is you're problem?!" The man's face was red with anger and his eyes narrowed at the bored expression on the Uchiha's face.

"I said I was sorry. It was accident. Now get your fucking hands off of me. **Now**." Sasuke's poker face was unfaultered which seemed to fuel the stranger's rage even more.

"You arrogant fuck! You walk around here all high and mighty...do you think you're special because you're the last surviving Uchiha? You just expect everyone to cower before you and stay out of your way? You're nothing but traitorous slime. You're a murderer and Kakashi-sama never should have let you back here. That was his first mistake as Hokage." The man pulled out a kunai from his side pouch and pressed it against Sasuke's throat. Everyone in the street was staring, murmuring amongst themselves, and pointing. But no one was stopping him. "You killed Danzo...and even your own brother. Sure, Itachi was a piece of trash who deserved what he got, but what kind of psychopath can look into his own brother's eyes and take his life? You're fucking sick, Uchiha." He spat in Sasuke's face.

And that's when Sasuke's patience had worn out. He grabbed the man's arm and channeled his chakra into his hand and squeezed as hard as he could manage. The man winced and tried to pull away, but hadn't the strength. He activated his Sharingan and grabbed the man's head with his free hand, forcing eye contact. When his genjutsu took affect the man fell to his knees screaming in terror as he covered his head with his arms, protecting himself from an imaginary threat.

Sasuke stood watching him for a moment, his expression something wicked as he sadistically stared at the vulnerable man before him. He deactivated the genjutsu and kicked the man in the gut and pulled him up off the ground by his hair, forcing their eye contact yet again. "Dont you _**ever**_ speak of Itachi in my presence you weak pathetic peice of shit." He suddenly felt a familiar chakra behind him and was pulled away from the man and thrown to the ground.

"What the hell are you doing, Sasuke?!" Naruto was furious, his face red with rage and his clenched fists trembling. "You know you're on probation! Kakashi-sensei is going to be pissed!"

"He started it!" Sasuke inwardly cringed at how childish he sounded. "He purposely tried to set me off."

"The bastard's lying!" The angry man was clutching his stomach and he pointed at the Uchiha "He rammed into me and started a fight! He's fucking nuts!"

Sasuke lifted himself from the ground and turned to Naruto, his expression transitioning from anger to hurt. "Naruto, you know I wouldn't do that. I made a promise and I fully intend to keep it. I was pushed to my breaking point and I know that's no excuse, I should have handled myself better but..." he lowered his head and fixed his eyes on the ground, softening his voice "I just lost it when he mentioned my brother."

Naruto's eyes widened and he placed his hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "I'm sorry..." Sasuke's head rose to meet his eyes. "Sasuke, I know that's a sensitive subject for you and this guy is a total asshole but you need to be more careful. I don't want you to ruin the progress you've made." He removed his hand from Sasuke's shoulder and turned to the stranger in the chunin uniform who was clearly still angry. "If I ever find out that you've been messing with Sasuke again I'll kick your ass! He's changed and he's trying to redeem himself. You pushing him until he breaks is going to fuck up his probation and I'm not going to let that happen. Leave him alone. He's fucking trying, okay? You can trust him, you have my word on that." He glared at the man with a stern expression.

"Whatever. I'll hold it to you, Uzumaki. Because I respect you for what you've done for our village, I'll do what you've asked. I just hope you're not too crushed when he snaps and turns on us again." He shot a dirty look at the Uchiha before turning away and making his way down the street.

"Thanks, Naruto."

"Shut up, teme."

~0~o~0~

Naruto and Sasuke were seated on a bench in the contruction site where they were currently working. They were taking a quick break with which they used to guzzle down as much water as their stomachs could hold.

The blond wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead and sighed. "If it gets any hotter I swear to god I'm moving to the Land of Snow."

Sasuke laughed quietly and nodded in agreement. "The heat is getting ridiculous." He wiped the back of his damp neck and decided he'd had enough. He pulled his shirt, which had begun to cling to his skin, over his head and tossed it on the ground beside them.

"You may want to put that back on, Uchiha." Sasuke's head snapped forward to see Shikamaru standing in front of them, looking exhausted. "Kakashi want's you in his office."

"Damn it." Sasuke stood and retrieved his shirt, cringing as he pulled it back on. "This is about earlier today isnt it?"

Shikamaru sighed in annoyance. "Im just the messenger. I have no idea what this is about. Just make sure you show up or it'll be my ass." He turned and walked lazily away.

Naruto stared at Sasuke with a look of concern. "Good luck." He swallowed as he watched his friend walk towards his impending doom.

~0~o~0~

Sasuke walked through the Hokage building with his head down, hands in his pockets, and panicked thoughts in his brain. He stopped in front of Kakashi's office and released the breath he hadn't realized he was holding. _Let's get this over with. _

He entered the room to find Kakashi leaning against the front of his desk reading a copy of Icha Icha Paradise.

"Oh hello Sasuke." His eyes curved, signaling a smile. "How nice of you to join me."

"You summoned me here. Just get to the point, I'm not in the mood." Sasuke glared back at him, his arms crossed and his finger tapping with impatience.

"Yes I did summon you here." His tone suddenly becoming more serious. "Why do you think that is?"

"That asshole from the market place provoked me and I defended myself." His eyes narrowed as he held Kakashi's gaze.

Kakashi sighed heavily and sat his book down. "You lost control, Sasuke. You haven't been back a year yet and you-"

"He pushed me until I snapped! He did it on purpose! He knew I was on probation! Nobody batted an eye when he put a kunai to my throat but the second I fight back suddenly I'm the fucking bad guy!" His chest was heaving, his fists were shaking.

"But you took it too far. How is anyone supposed to trust you when you can lose it so easily? The people are nervous about you being back, don't you want to show them you've changed?"

"I've been trying. They don't care and they won't even give me a chance. And if I'm threatened I'm not just going to sit there and take it, I'm going to defend myself." His expression was stern as he glared at the masked man.

"What were the conditions for letting you return to Konoha?" Kakashi waited for a repy but only recieved an eye roll from the stubborn Uchiha. "Answer me, Sasuke. What were your conditions?"

Sasuke sighed and crossed his arms. "Weekly therepy sessions and a probationary period in which I am not to engage in any fights unless they are consented sparring matches for training purposes only. I am not to be awarded the title of Leaf Village shinobi or be assigned to any missions until is it voted unanimoulsy within the counsel that I am in good mental health and the people of Konoha can trust me to defend the village." His voice was almost robotic as he spoke.

"You do want to earn back the title of Leaf shinobi don't you?"

"Of course I do. You know I do." Annoyance was growing in Sasuke and it did not go unnoticed.

"Then you'll do whatever it takes. Your therepy sessions have been bumped up to twice a week." Sasuke shot Kakashi a menacing look. "You will not argue about this. You should consider yourself lucky actually. The counsel members are crabby old people with very low tolerance for anything. I'd say you got off pretty easy." He picked his book up, and returned to reading. He waved a hand at Sasuke signaling his release. "See you later, Sasuke. Stay out of trouble."

~0~o~0~

Naruto stood in his kitchen waiting impatiently for his water to boil. He picked up his chopsticks, broke them apart and began drumming the top of his instant ramen cup. Just when he started to fear losing his mind from hunger, the kettle shrieked it's obnoxious whistle and he immediatly threw down his chopsticks and poured the water into the cup. The steam burned his hand but it was well worth it so he just sucked it up. And now the wait for the ramen to be ready. He sighed heavily as his stomach growled angrily at him.

He turned to grab his timer when the door to his apartment flung open and a distressed Uchiha stormed in and plopped himself down on the blonde's couch.

"Oh god, what did Kakashi-sensei say? How much trouble are you in?" Naruto stared at the raven haired man eager to hear his response and dreading it at the same time.

"Twice a week now!" He threw his arms up for dramatic affect.

"What?" Naruto furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"I have to see that damned therepist twice a week now instead of just once. And once was bad enough! 'Got off easy' my ass! This is the cruelest punishment those old bastards could have come up with!" He propped his elbows on his knees and buried his face in his hands.

"Wait...that's it? Just more therepy? Sasuke that's a good thing, it could have been much worse. Why are you freaking out?" Now that Naruto was relieved with Sasuke's answer and no longer stressing he snuck away to check his ramen.

"They expect me to talk to a stranger about my _feelings_ not once but twice a week now. What do you mean 'why am i freaking out?' this is awful, I'd rather them just throw me in jail for a bit." He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples as he listened to the annoying slurping sounds coming from the blonde who was now seated next to him.

"You're over-reacting." the whiskered nin was shot a threatening look from the Uchiha so he swallowed his noodles before speaking again. "Therepy is good for you. Why don't you just open up to your therepist? You'll make good progress with her and she'll report that to the counsel which will help you out a lot and you might even find it comforting to let everything off your chest. It's a win, win really." upon finishing his sentence he immediatly shoveled more noodles into his mouth.

"I already tell _you_ everything. That's good enough, I don't need _her. _Strangers have no business knowing my personal thoughts. It makes me uncomfortable and doesn't help me in any way. Sending me to therepy is pointless." He stared at Naruto as he slurped up an ungodly amount of noodles, forcing his cheeks to puff out like a hampster storing it's food. "Must you?"

"Sorry, man, Im freaking starving!" Naruto spoke around the mushy ramen occupying his mouth.

"You're gross." he watched as Naruto slurped up the rest of his noodles and sat the empty cup on his coffee table.

The blonde breathed a sigh of relief after swallowing the last of his meal and leaned against the back of the couch. "Well since it's so easy to talk to me just pretend she's me. I dont know, draw my face on a paper bag and make her wear it when you talk to her or something."

"Yeah. That will solve everything, what a genious idea." His sarcasm and eye rolling earned him a punch to the arm.

"I wish you'd try to help yourself as hard as Im trying to." he frowned at his friend who had put his poker face firmly in place. "Hey, stop with the shitty attitude, I mean it! I really am trying to help you as best I can, you need to make more of an effort."

"It's pretty hard when I'm surrounded by people who hate my guts and make it painfully clear they'd like to see me dead." He looked at the blond, who's big blue eyes were staring at the floor.

"I know. Trust me, I know what that feels like." He scratched the back of his head and met Sasuke's gaze. "You need to rise above it. Make them see how great you are."

"How great I am? Ha! Okay yeah sure, I'll get right on it." he laughed mockingly at his annoyed friend.

"I mean it! Just ignore everyone, don't let them get a rise out of you and just continue helping the village however you can. Be polite and don't give them any more reasons to be angry with you. Eventually they'll get over it and realize you're different from who you were." The blond stretched his arms upwards and let out a yawn. "Just give it time." he began rubbing his eyes now.

"Hey, usuratonkachi, don't fall asleep on me now." The raven haired nin flicked his friend in the forehead, to which Naruto replied by lazily swatting at his hand letting out another yawn.

"I'm not." his voice was a whisper as his head tilted back.

"You've got to be kidding me. First you stuff your face like a savage and now you just fall alseep?" He let out a heavy sigh as he stood and pulled Naruto's arm helping him to his feet. "Come on, dobe. Time for bed." He rolled his eyes as he helped Naruto to his room where he collapsed on his bed. He began snoring seconds later. "Obnoxious even when sleeping. What a surprise." The Uchiha smiled at his friend sprawled along his bed, a pillow suffocating in his tight embrace. "Good night, loser." Unable to fight the urge, he bent down and placed a soft kiss on the blond's forehead. The butterflies showed his stomach no mercy.

More than anything Sasuke wanted to crawl into bed with him and hold him tightly. He gazed at the blond's whiskered face as he slept and stared at his lips, remembering how they felt pressed against his own and longed to experience it again. He shook the thoughts out of his head and pulled a blanket over his friend before making his way back to his empty house where he would lie awake for hours unable to get a certain hyperactive-Knucklehead ninja out of his mind.

~0~o~0~

The next day Sasuke found himself seated at long table joined by his former teammates and most of the rookies. Lee was absent due to a promise he made to Guy-sensei to lap the village thrice on his hands so as not to waste his youth, and Neji's absence hung heavily over everyone's hearts. For the first time since the restaurant had been rebuilt, they were finally eating their favorite barbeque.

Naruto sat across from Sasuke with Hinata at his side, and Sakura had claimed the spot beside the Uchiha. The blonde was smiling brightly at Hinata as she droned on about her day at the hospital and Sakura was arguing with Ino about something he assumed was unimportant. Kiba was fighting with Shino over who got to cook their meat next while Shikamaru sighed and propped his elbow on the table, resting his head on his hand. Tenten was staring at the two arguing kunoichi with amusement and Chouji was stuffing his face as usual. Sai meerly sat and observed the interactions between everyone and took mental notes.

"Sasuke-kun, don't you agree?" Sasuke pryed his attention away from the blond and the Hyuuga girl and stared at Sakura wearing his blank expression, clearly uninterested.

"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention. What should I agree with?" He watched as Sakura frowned at him and huffed.

"Ino and I are having a debate on whether or not having long hair can be a burden during combat." She turned her head toward her friend sitting beside her and glared. "I think long hair gets in the way but she says it doesn't. Personally I think she's just defending her fashion statement." She turned back to the Uchiha anticipating his response.

"That's what you two are arguing about? That's just stupid." He rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Long hair shouldnt affect you in battle as long as you're not an idiot. If you put your hair up and keep it out of the way, as Ino does, then it doesnt make a difference. If you leave your hair down, as you once did, of course it will get in the way. It's common sense really."

Ino pumped her fist in the air and let out a victory cry before sticking her tongue out at Sakura who's eye was twitching in frustration. "I told you, billboard brow!"

Sasuke quickly returned his focus to the two seated in front of him. He narrowed his eyes and balled his fists. The boring Hyuuga girl was wiping the corner of Naruto's mouth with a napkin as she giggled. He felt anger rise in his chest, burning like a raging fire. Naruto placed his hand utop Hinata's, sending her into a blushing frenzy. Sasuke grimmanced at the sight of him touching her and banged his fist on the table catching everyone's attention as the chattering stopped abruptly.

"What the fuck, Uchiha? Where the hell did that come from?" Kiba stared at him with shock.

"Shut up, mutt." He fixed his angry gaze on Naruto who was looking very confused. "A word. _**Now.**_**" **he forced his words through gritted teeth.

Naruto stood and murmured an apology to everyone as he followed his angry friend out of the restaurant. The raven haired nin led him into an allyway beside the building. He ventured into the shadows to assure their privacy. He pinned Naruto against the wall and grabbed a fistfull of his white t-shirt.

"How long are you going to keep this up, usuratonkachi? Are you torturing me on purpose? I've tried to be patient but I'm at the end of my rope, here! Why haven't we talked about what happened?" His words were like venom seeping into the blond, leaving him paralyzed. The Uchiha stared at his friend who failed to speak and released his shirt to grab the side of his face and pressed their lips together.

Naruto's body warmed instantly and his heart raced. Butterflies occupied his stomach and the feeling of Sasuke's hard body pressed against him was starting to awaken the member between his legs.

_No, no, no, Fuck!_

He pushed the Uchiha off of him causing him to stumble backwards, almost losing balance. "Sasuke, stop! We're friends! This is fucking weird!" He glared at the pale man who was keeping his distance and looking frustrated. "Im going to ask Hinata to be my girlfriend and this is going to stop. You need help, Sasuke. Put those extra therapy sessions to use." his words peirced Sasuke's heart like a dagger and he left him standing there with his mouth hanging open, eyes widened. The Uchiha watched the blond walk away and clutched his chest as a horrible pain thrashed inside of him.

~0~o~0~

-later that evening-

Naruto walked beside Hinata as they roamed the forest. The sun was setting behind the trees and a soft orange glow poured through the spaces between them, just barely lighting their path. He took hold of her hand and intertwined their fingers and she smiled at the ground. The cool breeze played with her long black hair as it twirled around gracefully.

"You look really pretty tonight." His blue eyes fixed on her porcelain face, cheeks stained a pale pink. "Im glad you're here with me." He smiled brightly and she returned the expression.

"Th-thank you Naruto-kun" She brushed away the silky strands of hair that had danced their way into her face. "I'm glad Im here too. And I was meaning to ask you, if you don't mind, what happened at the restaurant earlier? Sasuke-kun never came back with you. Was something wrong?"

"Oh...um" He scratched the back of his head and frowned. "Something came up and he had to go. Everything's fine though so don't worry, kay?" He turned his frown upside down to reassure her.

"Okay." Her lips formed a small smile and she fought off her disobient hair yet again. "You seemed a little distressed when you returned so I just wanted to make sure it wasn't anything serious."

They walked in silence for a while, hand in hand, taking in the quiet peacefulness of the night. When they reached a spot in the woods where there was a large gap in the trees, forming an almost perfect circle and the moon was beaming it's light into the center, Naruto stopped and turned to Hinata, taking hold of her other hand and gazing into her moonlit violet eyes. Her knees began to shake as the moment became something she could only describe as perfectly romantic.

Their lips met and Naruto released her hands and wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her close to him, her breasts pressed against chest as he slid his hands beneath her shirt feeling the smooth skin of her back.

Heat spread through Hinata's body, her head became fuzzy, and the feel of Naruto's strong rough hands against her skin made her body shake. Their kiss grew more passionate as the blond parted his lips and invited his tongue into Hinata's mouth where it circled around and massaged her own tongue. She felt as though she could melt.

Naruto felt nothing.

This wasn't how he'd imagined this moment going. Her breasts squished against him just seemed to be in the way, the taste of her chapstick was nausiating, the smell of her purfume was sickeningly sweet. There were no butterflies. There was no excitement.

His thought's wandered towards Sasuke. The way his hard chest felt strong pressed against him, the way his body shook at the feeling of the Uchiha's touch...the way his raven haired friend made him feel was indescrible to him. All he knew was that this kiss was nothing compared to when he had kissed Sasuke.

He pulled away from Hinata, who looked as though she'd collapse at any moment, and smiled sweetly at her. He took her hand and lead her back down the path that had led them there. There were no words between them. Hinata lost in thoughts of Naruto. The blond lost in thoughts of Sasuke.

~0~o~0~

Naruto stood outside of Sasuke's house, staring at the door, trying to muster up the courage to knock. As he finally found his bravery, he lifted his fist, but before he could knock the door slowly crept open, revealing a miserable uchiha on the other side of it.

"I could sense your chakra, you dobe." He refused to make eye contact. "What the hell do you want?" his voice was tired and sad.

"I took hinata to a romantic spot in the woods." Blue eyes stared at the ground, he was speaking softly and fidgeting with the bottom of his shirt. "I planned to ask her to be my girlfriend but...I couldn't."

Sasuke's head snapped up and locked his gaze on Naruto's sad expression. "You couldn't do it?"

"No." He looked into the Uchiha's mismatched eyes and swallowed. "We kissed again but it wasn't just a little peck like last time. It was a real kiss. And...and..." tears spilled from his eyes and streamed down his cheeks. "And I fucking hated it! It didn't make me feel the way it should have."

"And how should it have made you feel?"

Naruto looked away in embarrasment. "It should have made me feel the way it did when you kissed me." He covered his face and felt his tears pool into his palms.

The Uchiha sighed heavily and grasped Naruto's arm, pulling him into his home. The blond wiped the tears from his face and looked around. Sasuke's house was extremely clean, everything was organized and there was a faint scent of lavender and sage hanging in the air. The color scheme was a combination of grays and navy blues and the only decorations to be found were a few plants and a large Uchiha emblem hanging above a couch that looked as though it had never been used.

Sasuke gestured towards the kitchen counter for Naruto to sit in one of the bar stools that accompanyed it. The blond obeyed his command and took a seat, almost immediatly putting his head down, burying his face in his arms on the counter's surface.

"Don't look so pathetic, is it really that horrible to have feelings for someone like me?" Sasuke walked over to the kitchen sink where he filled a kettle with water. "Would you like some tea?"

Naruto just sat there sniffling, not saying a word. The Uchiha's eye twitched at his lack of response.

"Naruto, you came here to talk about this didn't you? So talk, damn it." His voice was a little more harsh than he intended but he was tired of the blond just sitting there saying nothing. He had been waiting far too long to have this conversation and his patience had been wearing thin and was barely hanging by a thread.

"It's just...just..." Naruto trailed off staring blankly at the floor and fell silent again.

"JUST WHAT?" Sasuke slammed his fist on the counter making Naruto jump, nearly falling out of his stool. His expression held fear and hurt which immediatly had the Uchiha feeling guilty. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell. I just think it's really important that we talk about this. Please, Naruto, tell me what you're feeling right now?"

"I don't know what I'm feeling...well I do...but it doesn't make sense, I dont understand." He avoided eye contact as he looked around the house examining the Uchiha's living space.

"You're in denial. You refuse to admit your feelings because you're afraid of what that will make you." He placed his hand on Naruto's face and turned his head to meet his eyes. "Do you really want to be with Hinata?"

"No."

"And how did it feel when we kissed?"

Naruto averted his eyes and felt his face become hot.

"Don't be embarrassed and don't lie to yourself. It's just me, you can tell me." Sasuke softened his features and untensed his muscles, hoping to make the blond feel a little more comfortable.

"It was one of the best feelings I've ever had." Naruto's voice was soft, almost a whisper, as he stared into Sasuke's eyes. "But it also scared me. Why are we like this? It's weird isnt it? I mean, I've heard of men being...well, you know... but I've never met anyone who actually was. Men are supposed to be with women. There must be something wrong with us. So why aren't you freaking out as bad as I am? How are you so calm?" His voice held a hint of desperation that became more prominent the more he spoke.

"I know what I like and I know what I don't like. I'm not going to pretend to be something I'm not just to please people that I couldn't give a shit less of what they think of me. When I want something, I go after it. You should know this about me by now." His voice was steady and confident as he spoke.

"I wish I had your confidence. I wish I didn't care so much about what people think of me, but I'm afraid of losing my friends because of this. What if they think I'm a freak? I mean, I kind of am a freak..." He ran his hand through his messy blonde hair and sighed.

"If they're really your friends, they won't care. And even if it takes them by surprise at first, they'll get over it. You're still you." His lips curled into a small smile as he took hold of Naruto's hand. "And you've always been a freak."

"Wow thanks, asshole." Naruto laughed as he punched the Uchiha playfully in the arm. "But, could we keep things between us a secret for a while...just until I'm ready?"

"Things between us? What things? Are you saying you want some sort of relationship?" Sasuke walked around the counter, closing the distance between him and the blond. He offered his hand to Naruto and pulled him to his feet. "Because that's what I want. And when I want something, nothing is going to stop me." Some sort of animal instict kicked in, lighting a fire inside of him. He hungered for the blond and decided to make his move.

He pulled Naruto into a kiss, pressing their bodies together. Their tongues danced around eachother as they let their hands explore one another's body, admiring toned muscles and smooth skin. Naruto's brave hand had found it's way to Sasuke's ass and squeezed, causing the man to gasp in surprise. Sasuke grasped the blond's bulge in retaliation which got a more interesting reaction, the blond jerking his head back and moaning.

Sasuke smirked and got down to his knees, unzipping Naruto's pants and wrapping his hand around the blond's erect cock. He licked it slowly and stole glances of the pleasured looks on Naruto's face. He decided he'd teased the poor blond long enough and slid his entire dick into his mouth, the tip hitting the back of his throat. He heard a gasp escape from the whiskered nin and felt his rough hand grasping his head. Sasuke twisted his tongue around his dick licking from bottom to top and rolled it around the tip before plunging back down to the base. The sounds coming from Naruto were more than enough fuel for Sasuke's flame, his performance getting better the louder the blond moaned and grunted.

Sasuke sucked on the tip of the blond's cock as he squeezed the base of it causing Naruto to arch his back and bite his lower lip. Feeling satisfied with his performance, he released his dick and pulled Naruto's shirt off before trailing kisses from the blond happy trail all the way up to his neck, where he nipped at it playfully before marking his territory, sucking on Naruto's flesh aggressively. And Naruto was loving it.

"Ready to take things further?" Sasuke asked between the kisses he trailed along the blond's collarbones. Things were moving way too fast. He knew this. And yet, he had waited so long for this moment, he'd be damned if he had to wait a moment longer. So, if that meant he was rushing things, then so be it.

Naruto's face turned red and he stiffened. "Take it further...how? I mean...how do we...?" He scratched the back of his head, a panicked feeling screaming inside of him. Was this really happening? It wasn't twenty minutes ago that he was pressed against Hinata, and now he was about to lose his virginity to Sasuke? Everything had happened so fast, it was making him dizzy.

"Well I'm not exactly experienced either, but I do have common sense." The Uchiha slid Naruto's pants and boxers down as he left another trail of kisses along his toned thighs.

Naruto stood before Sasuke completely bare while the Uchiha was still fully clothed. "That's not fair, Sasuke! Why do I have to be the naked one?" His whining only caused the Uchiha to smirk.

"Well if you want something to happen you have to take action. Do you want me naked? Strip me." He crossed his arms and watched as the blond stood awkwardly blushing before him, attempting to hide his erect dick. "Don't be shy, dobe."

Naruto swallowed and pulled Sasuke's shirt up over his head, throwing the garmet aside, causing it to land on an innocent plant a few feet away from them. He stared at the well toned chest he had exposed and bit down on his lip. He placed a hand against him, tracing his abdominal muscles and admiring the contrast of his tan skin against Sasuke's paleness. He let his hand wander down to Sasuke's bulge and squeezed before unzipping his pants and releasing his member. He slid the pants and boxers down and openly stared at Sasuke's bare body, his eyes wide with hunger.

"Okay, I want to take things further. I don't care what it is we do, let's just do it." He wasn't even attempting to hide his eagerness or desperation. The Uchiha's eyes lit up at this and seconds later he was turning the blond around and bending him over a bar stool.

Sasuke grabbed naruto's hip with one hand and used the other to guide his dick into the blonde's back entrance.

"OW, FUCK, SASUKE!"

"Well I've never done this before just..." Sasuke grunted as he pulled himself out. "It's really tight...I think you need to loosen up first." he stared at Naruto's entrance, biting his lip, his cheeks flushed. He slid a finger in, moving it inside of him. The blond gasped and cursed in pain. "Stop tensing, dobe. Relax."

"Easy for you to sa- FUCK!." A second finger had joined the first.

"Relax." Sasuke repeated, continuing to finger the blond. He could feel him loosening and had noticed that Naruto seemed to be in less pain.

Deciding to just go for it, Sasuke pulled his fingers out and replaced them with his manhood. Naruto started, screaming out in pain. If Sasuke were honest with himself, it was extrordinarily painful for himself as well. He winced as he rocked his hips against the blond, he picked up the speed gradually and hit a spot that made Naruto moan with pleasure.

A victorious grin spread across the Uchiha's face as he pumped the blond with his cock, rocking at what seemed to be the perfect speed for the blond, judging by his moans. He released Naruto's hip and reached around to grab his dick, which he stroked and played with, driving the blond crazy. "Fuck, Sasuke...unf... so good...I'm gonna bust...oh fuck"

Naruto's cock throbbed and thick warm cum burst from it's tip, covering Sasuke's hand and dripping onto the hard wooden floor. The blond hunched over in exhaustion and let out a shaky sigh as his body trembled.

With the feeling of Naruto's quaking body, vulnerable and submissive beneath him, Sasuke couldn't hold it back any longer and he filled Naruto with his load mere seconds later.

"Wow." Naruto was panting "That was...oh my god." He turned to Sasuke who was sitting beside him on the floor where both men had practically collapsed. "I mean at first it fucking hurt like hell but once you figured out what you were doing...fuck."

"Well if you weren't all tensed up we could have avoided so much pain, dobe." Sasuke leaned his head back and tried to regulate his breathing.

"You stuck your dick in my ass! Duh, it hurt! I don't think there was any avoiding that, teme!" The Uchiha just smirked and shrugged.

"Well, to be fair, I think things would have gone more smoothly with some sort of lubrication. It hurt for me too." He ran his clean hand through his hair and turned towards the blond. "Come on." he said, and stood, offering his hand to Naruto, who accepted, and pulled him to his feet. He led him to his bathroom where he gestured towards the shower. "Let's get cleaned up."

"Let's? As in...together?" Naruto blushed furiously.

"I just fucked you in the ass and you're going to get embarrased about showering together?" He took hold of naruto's hand and tugged lightly, smiling at him. "Let's get cleaned up." he repeated firmly, leaving no room for argument.

Naruto swallowed as the Uchiha turned the shower on, the room getting steamy and hot. He watched as Sasuke pulled the curtain aside and stepped in, he hesitated for a moment but decided to follow and stepped in after him. The two men stood in the steamy shower admiring eachothers bodies as the hot water ran over their flesh, leaving it hot and pink. 'Getting cleaned up' quickly turned into a make-out and groping session.

Their hands explored eachother as they were connected by their mouths circling their tongues and playfully biting lips. Sasuke had made an attempt to 'go for round two' but Naruto pleaded with him, insisting that he was too sore and that he might die if they did it again so soon. Sasuke respected his wishes, despite his urge to rape him, and proceeded to actually clean himself. They took turns standing beneath the shower's stream, fighting over their preffered temperatures which led to a slap on the ass, which in turn, led to more kissing.

Once they were nice and squeaky clean, Sasuke led the blond to his bedroom where he offered him some pajamas.

"Um, you want me to walk home in your pajamas?" He stared at the clothes in the Uchiha's hands with a raised eybrow.

"Who says you're going home?" his lips curled into a smirk as he tossed the clothes to the blond.

Naruto smiled as he changed into dark grey sweat pants and a navy blue tee-shirt with a large Uchiha emblem sewn into the back.

"Coming to bed, dobe?" Sasuke was already in his bed, pulling the corner of the blanket back, inviting the blond to join him.

Naruto crawled into bed and nuzzled up against the Uchiha, resting his head on his chest and interlocking his leg with Sasuke's. Neither of them had felt this peaceful in a very long time. Finally, everything seemed to be exactly as it should.

**A/N: Yeah, I know, the land of Snow was made up for the first Naruto movie. Don't care. I needed it for comedic relief. **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Angst! Fluff! Sexy-time! Yes, find all of this dramatically rolled up into one chapter! I hope you all like it! And I'd just like to thank everyone who favorited or followed this story, you guys keep me motivated, I love you (: And to the few people who reviewed my story, thank you for your kind words and support, getting reviews is my favorite (:**

Sunlight poured through the sheer curtains that elegantly draped the windows. It shown brightly over a pale face that slowly blinked awake at the feeling of the warmth it produced. Sasuke Stretched slowly bringing his arms above his head and noticing a heavy feeling weighing down his torso. His blurry eyes glaced down to find a tan, muscular leg draped over his stomach and an arm over his chest. His eyes widened in realization and turned to see the blond sleeping next to him, snoring and drooling all over his formally clean pillowcase.

"Oh, ew, what the hell! Wake up, usuratonkachi!" He shook the blond's shoulder after his loud voice failed to wake the heavy sleeper. The snoring paused for a moment, and after mumbling something about ramen he just shifted his position. The snoring returned. "You've got to be kidding me." After realizing this was going to be a challenge, Sasuke pounced on top of the blond, stradling him, and shook both of his shoulders. "Naruto! Wake up!"

The blond jolted up, hitting his head against Sasuke's."Wha-what? Sorry! Nevermind, I'll come back later!" He stared confused at the raven-haired man sitting on him, rubbing his injured forehead, and suddenly remembered where he was. "Oh, uh, sorry. You scared me."

"You drooled on my pillow, you gross weirdo." His eyes narrowed and his facial expression was stern. "And you sleep like a spaz."

"Sorry, jeeze." He streched his arms above his head and yawned. "Hey it's pretty bright in here, what time is it?"

Sasuke froze. "Shit!" He jumped out of bed so fast his head spun as he scrambled to his closet to change. "Shit, shit, shit!"

"What? What's wrong? You late for something?" Naruto stared, confused, as the Uchiha put his shirt on backwards, cursed, and fixed it.

Sasuke pointed to the alarm clock on his night stand as he pulled his pants on. "It's 7:47." He slid a sock on each foot, one was inside-out but he didnt have time to care as he ran to the bathroom, that was attached to his room, and spaztically applied some deodorant. "I have therapy in 13 minutes and I can't be late."

"Oh, crap. You better hurry up then." Naruto stood from Sasuke's bed and approached him with a smile. "Good luck" He placed his hand on the Uchiha's arm and kissed him gently on the cheek. "Also, you forgot to zip your fly."

Sasuke growled as he pulled his zipper up. He brushed past him, hurried down the hall and slid on his shoes. "Help yourself to the kitchen, make some breakfast, I don't care. Oh, and your clothes are over here on the floor...I think we might have gotten...stuff...on them. Have fun with that. Later, loser." And within the blink of an eye the door was slammed shut behind him.

~0~o~0~

The door to the therapist's office flung open and Sasuke skidded to a hault, breathing heavily. 

"You're late." his therapist was a thin woman with dark brown hair neatly swirled into a bun on the top of her head. Her bi-focals rested on the tip of her nose and her freshly manicured nails tapped impatiently on her desk.

"I slept in. Sue me." Sasuke rolled his eyes and set his blank, unamused expression firmly in place before taking a seat.

"In a sour mood, as usual, I see." She clicked her pen and pulled a file out of a drawer and placed it on her desk, scribbling something down. "The nightmares are still occurring, I take it?"

"Yes. They've gotten worse. But I didn't have any last night. I slept like a baby, actually. Don't go assuming things. You act like you know me. It's annoying." He stared blankly at her, speaking in monotone.

"I see." Her pen hit the paper again. Frowning, she scribbling something else. "As I recall, you've stated in the past that your nightmares are nightly occurances. Was yesterday a good day for you then? Did something happen to brighten your mood?" She stared at him with a straight face, nails returning to their impatient tapping.  
"That isn't any of your business. You're lucky you even know about the nightmares."

She sighed and pushed her glasses up. Her eyes narrowed as she made eye contact with the Uchiha. "You do understand how therapy works, don't you? You share your feelings and your problems and I do my best to help you. How can I help you if week after week you refuse to share anything?"

"I don't need your help. I'm fine. There isn't anything wrong with me. I'm not some psychopath ready to snap and kill everyone at any moment, like everyone seems to think. There isn't any point for me to be here." He propped his elbow on the armrest and placed his head in his hand looking bored.

"Sasuke, you have suffered major emotional trauma. You have displayed in the past how greatly this has affected your mental state. You are not healthy, you are sick. There is no arguing this fact. However, you shouldn't feel ashamed of this. It is expected from someone who has gone through what you have. I am not here to judge you, I am here to resolve the issue. I'm here to help." Her arms crossed as she sat back in her seat.

"I **was** sick. I'm not anymore. I'm **fine**." He continued to look bored and stared out the window at a crow that had landed on a fence post. He sighed, and looked away.

"So just like that, you're fine? You miraculously recovered from your trauma? You don't have any pent up anger, frustration, or sadness? How do you explain your nightmares? Have you truly aquired peace of mind?" Her pen weaved through her fingers as she spoke, never once breaking eye contact.

"Yes, I'm absolutely fine. My friend snapped me out of it, I changed, and now I'm fine. As for the nightmares, everyone experiences them, they mean nothing." An involuntary twitch of his rinnegan eye signaled his increasing annoyance.

"You may have changed, Sasuke, but are you truly convinced that you are not still hurting? You never feel as though you may break down? You never remember your past and supress the urge to lash out? The things you've seen, the things you've done, you aren't bothered by them?"

"**No**." He clenched his jaw and fought to keep his blank expression in place.

"You killed your own brother, Sasuke. You took other lives as well. And you're doing just fine? It is a fact that after a person takes the life of another they suffer emotional scarring and are haunted by it for the rest of their lives. Your case is a little more serious considering the life you took was your elder bro-"

"Shut up! Just shut the hell up! You don't know a fucking thing about it so just stop. You sit behind that desk with your Goddamn pen and paper writing meaningless bullshit attempting to understand what you never possibly could. Stop trying to claw your way into my brain, I'm not telling you shit. I don't want to be here and I don't need to be either. I'm fucking fine."

"Mhm. So, we're finally getting somewhere." She broke eye contact and scribbled something in her file. She pulled a note-pad from her drawer and jotted something down before tearing the page out and handing it to Sasuke.

His eyes widened as he read the paper. His hands trembled as he re-read it. He abandoned all efforts to keep his expression uninterested as he rose from his seat. "A _**prescription**_? Are you fucking kidding me?!" His fist clenched around the paper, mutilating it in his grasp.

"Clearly your emotions are unmanageable. This medication should keep them in check."

"I am a master at controlling emotions, don't give me that bullshit! No one can ever see behind my mask, the last thing I need help with is suppressing emotions!" He gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on the abomination in his hand.

She raised a neatly shaped eyebrow. "Oh? Is that so? Well sounds like you need this medication even more than I thought." She placed his file back in her drawer and clicked her pen closed before setting it aside. "You're dismissed."

"What?! No this is completely unfair!" He screamed at her, receiving no reaction other than unamusement. Clearly, she had experience with pissing off her clients. "You can't fucking do this! You purposely tried to get under my skin to get a reaction out of me! I don't need this prescription, you sneaky diluted fucking bitch!" He slammed his fists down on her desk, rattling everything causing her pen holder to tip over, pens rolling out and falling off the surface.

She narrowed her eyes and cleared her throat. "Security!" Her voice was steady and clear.

Sasuke snarled at her, ripped the paper up and threw it in her face. "I'm not taking any pills. You can fuck off." 

"Don't worry, I'll be sure to see that you do. This is for your own good." She calmly stood from her seat and began collecting her scattered office supplies as two men dressed in standard Jounin uniforms rushed in.

Both men took hold of one of Sasuke's arms and pulled him out of the office. Once they had escorted him out of the building, they shoved him down the steps to the entrance. Sasuke caught his footing and balanced himself half-way down, glaring back at the men before storming away. His thoughts were a swarming chaotic mess, his fists were clenched, his heart was racing at an alarming pace and, had his thoughts not been so preoccupied, he might have feared it bursting from his chest.

As he walked through the street he received the usual glares and comments he endured daily. He ignored them as usual. It was easier now that his own thoughts were much louder than they were.

"Psycho!"

"Traitor!"

"Murderer!"

"Trash!"

Their voices were just muffled sounds in the background as he weaved through the crowd. His head was pounding and his fingers were now aching from his tightly chenched fists. He ignored it all. His thoughts were screaming at him, overpowering everything else.

He had to get to Kakashi before she did. He had to explain what happened in his own words and convince him to overrule the medication she perscribed to him. He had to make sure that no matter what, he never had to go back to her, and he would not have to take any pills. He desperately tried to calm himself down in preparation for making a convincing argument. He inhaled deeply and exhaled.

"Sasuke-kun!"

_No. Oh god, anyone but her._

"Good morning." Hinata stood before him wearing a weak smile, looking pathetic. As always. "Have you seen Naruto? Kiba was looking for him. They're supposed to work on the library's construction today." She nervously fidgeted with the bottoms of her long sleeves as she spoke.

"I don't have time for this. Get out of my way." He narrowed his eyes at her before shoving past her, hitting her shoulder with his own as he passed.

"S-sorry" She mumbled as her cheeks turned bright red.

_Whatever, just stay the hell away from me_. He broke into a sprint as he neared the Hokage building and hurried up the steps. He ran up flights of stairs until he reached the final floor and pushed his way through Kakashi's door, fighting back two Anbu.

"Release him." Kakashi sighed as he shook his head disapprovingly at Sasuke's behavior. "It's fine, give us some privacy." The Anbu nodded and exited the room at Kakashi's order.

"Okay, Sasuke. What is this about?" The silver haired man leaned lazily against his desk and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

Sasuke just stood there for a moment, trying to figure out where to begin his story. He cleched and unclenched his fists, feeling idiotic for his emotional breakdown. Standing next to Kakashi, who was so calm and collected, made him feel embarrassed of his current mental state. He took a breath and relaxed his muscles.

"Well?" Kakashi's voice was bored but his eyes confirmed curiosity.

Sasuke relayed the events of his therapy session as calmly as he could manage, making a conscious effort to not let his anger rise to the surface. As he spoke, Kakashi merely stood listening, giving the occasional nod and staying relaxed. When he finished his story, his former sensei straightened his posture and crossed his arms.

"Sounds to me like she was right to hand out a prescription. You and I both know that you're not exactly a hundred percent stable. I think medication could help you."

Sasuke's jaw dropped. "W-what?...You're taking _her_ side?" numbness washed over him as he stood there with his arms limp at his sides. He stared at Kakashi in disbelief. "You're just like everyone else...you think im a monster...an unstable lunatic...you don't trust me."

"Sasuke, that isn't how I feel at all I-"

"Then why?! Why should I take medication like some crazy person? Why is everyone against me? I know I've made some major mistakes in the past but-"

"Major mistakes? Try outstanding, colossal even. Sasuke, one does not simply recover from that state of mind in a measly seven months. It takes years...a lifetime even. You are trying and I recognize that and I am happy for that. I can see that you've changed and I am on your side. I want you to be happy and I want you to return to your position as a Leaf shinobi. That's why I fully support any decisions your therapist makes." He moved from his spot in front of his desk and approached Sasuke, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Taking medication is not something to be ashamed of. It shows that you're taking steps to improve your mental health. And you aren't crazy, you're just suffering emotionally and you need help. It isnt healthy to keep everything bottled up and push your thoughts aside, pretending that everything is okay when it isn't. I'm worried about you. And so are Naruto and Sakura. We all want what is best for you. Please do this for not just us, but more importantly, for yourself."

"But...Kakashi...please...please don't do this to me..." He felt tears well up in his eyes and quickly blinked them away, refusing to show any signs of weakness. He was not weak. And he certainly wasn't crazy.

"You need to understand that we aren't against you. You need to know that we are only trying to help. You'll take the medication and you'll continue your appointments. Do this, and prove to us that you will do whatever it takes to get better. We are on your side. Let us help you." His eyes softened and he took his hand away from the Uchiha's shoulder, giving the poor man a little space.

Sasuke shook his head, the back of his throat burned, his chest felt tight. Kakashi didn't understand, and neither did his therapist. But one person had always understood him. He needed to find Naruto. He turned swiftly on his heel and bolted out the door running through the building and then down the street. His heart was racing, his eyes watering, his breathing uneven. He raced desperately towards his last hope.

~0~o~0~

Sasuke arrived at the library's construction site and immediately began to scan the working shinobi for a head of bright yellow hair. He walked around the site frantically searching when he spotted Kiba working alone. 

"Kiba!" His sudden exclaimation startled the brunett, making him drop the hammer he was holding which landed on his unfortunate foot. "Where's Naruto?"

"Ow, ow, ow! Damn it!" He hopped around on one leg clutching his injured foot. "Not cool, dude! Don't go around yelling people's names out of nowhere. Man, I just healed my ankle and now this?" He sighed deeply. "I just can't catch a break, man."

"Suck it up. Where's Naruto?" His eyes narrowed as he crossed his arms, impatiently waiting for a response.

"He never showed up. Bastard ditched me. I looked every place I could think of, his apartment, Ichiraku's, the training grounds, I even asked Hinata since they seem to be so damn close lately. She didnt know where he was either." He continued coddling his throbbing foot and didnt notice when Sasuke bolted in the opposite direction. When he finally looked up, the Uchiha was long gone. "Okay...weird." He shrugged and went back to work.

~0~o~0~

Sasuke flung his door open and entered his home. He looked around frantically before he noticed a loud wurring noise coming from down the hall. He followed the sound until he found himself standing in the doorway of his bathroom watching a flustered blonde blow-drying his bright orange clothes.

"What are you doing?" Naruto jumped at the sound of the Uchiha's voice and immediately turned the hair-dryer off.

"Sasuke! Thank God! I couldnt leave the house because my clothes were in the danger zone when we did it and they got covered in our man stuff and well obviously I couldnt wear them like that and I couldn't even go home for fresh clothes because all of your shirts have the damn Uchiha family crest sewn on the back and I can't have people seeing me in that and so I tried to wash them in the sink but then they were soaking wet and I couldnt wear wet clothes and so I found your hair dryer -by the way why do you own this?- and it's taking forever to get them dry! PLEASE HELP ME!" He inhaled as if he had been suffocating for hours and exhaled dramatically.

"Why didn't you just wear my pants and go topless? It's hot out, no one would think twice. Or, you could've turned one of my shirts inside out. You're stupid, so noone would think twice of that either." He cocked an eyebrow and stared at the blond who looked dumb-founded.

"Oh my god." Naruto smacked his forehead as punishment for his own stupidity.

"Yeah." Sasuke looked away and frowned. "So, listen...something happened today. I need to talk to you about it."

"Is something wrong?" Naruto's asked, concerned.

"Yeah...come on." Sasuke led the blond to the living room where he gestured towards the couch. They both took a seat, sitting closely enough that their knees were touching.

The Uchiha inhaled deeply and leaned his head against the back of the couch, closing his eyes. He collected his thoughts and returned to an upright position. He stared desperately at the sunshiney face of his final hope before relaying the entire story. He left nothing out as he told him of his therapy session and his conversation with Kakashi. He shared every detail honestly, and when he finished speaking he looked away and gripped the fabric of his pants, frowning in anticipation for Naruto's reaction.

Bright blue eyes widened. The blond placed his hand on the Uchihas lap. He was silent for a moment before speaking. "Sasuke...you need that medicine. Kakashi was right. I'm worried about you and if this stuff will help you then I think you should take it."

Sasuke's heart stopped. He stared at his final hope in devastation, anger bubbling up inside of him. He rose from the couch and stared at the blond in disbelief. "You can't be serious." His fists clenched. "You were my last hope! I was so sure that of everyone I knew you would be the one to understand! How could you say that? You really think some pills are going to fix everything? I can handle myself on my own, I don't need a krutch! I am in complete control!"

Naruto looked away, unable to make eye contact. "No, Sasuke. You just think you're in control. But you're not. You proved that the other day when you snapped on that Chuunin in the marketplace. You let your anger take over."

"You know damn well that he pushed me to that point! I don't just go around snapping on people. If I'm provoked of course I'm going to react! It was the same thing with my therapist today, she knew what she was doing. She knew, I'd freak out. She knew which buttons to press!" He was yelling now and his heart was beginning to race.

"That's just it though. You're going to have people trying to get a rise out of you, knowing just what to say...and you're going to freak out and do something...bad. Everyone here knows what you've done and they'll throw it in your face. You're always going to be set off. I asked Baa-chan about trauma and she told me it can cause people to have mood swings, anger problems, and distance themselves from people. She said they can have nightmares and flashbacks and can be set off by things that remind them of the thing that traumatized them. And you show all of those things. Don't you want to feel better? Aren't you tired of being angry all the time? Just take the medicine..."

**"I'm not taking the fucking** **medicine!"** Tears welled in his eyes and spilled out, streaming down his pale cheeks. Naruto still refused to meet his eyes, his head hung low as the Uchiha screamed at him. "I really thought you'd be the one to defend me, Naruto. I didn't know that you think I'm crazy too. You're supposed to be my best fucking friend! More than that, even! But, you just think I'm some fucking psycho who needs to be medicated to function properly!"

A fire ignited inside of Naruto. Burning with anger, he stood from the couch and grabbed the Uchiha by his shirt, pulling him up to eye level. "Are you fucking kiddin' me right now?" He grit his teeth, glaring into Sasuke's mismatched eyes. "Do you honestly think that's how I feel? Last night should have been proof enough of my feelings for you! And people think I'm the stupid one...right now, you're the idiot!"

"Well, what the hell am I supposed to think right now? I thought you'd be on my side!" Sasuke gripped Naruto's wrists, attempting to pull them away, to no avail.

"Just fucking listen to yourself right now! Damn it, Sasuke, I am on your side! That's why I want you to listen to your therapist and do what she says! She wouldn't put you on medication if she didn't think it would help you!"

"She's not trying to help me, you idiot! She's clearly-"

"Shut up! Just listen to me! You and I both know you've been through a lot. You can't just keep acting like everything is fine when it's not! Just accept the fuckin' help! I don't get what's so bad about taking medicine anyway! Why are you freaking out like this?" He released Sasuke's shirt and shoved him back onto the couch. He crossed his arms, waiting for the Uchiha's response.

"You really want to know why I'm freaking out so badly?" He asked, calmly. "Well, here it is. I don't want to rely on pills to make me 'sane'. If I accept the medication, I'm accepting that I'm crazy. And I'm not fucking crazy. I don't need them, and I'm insulted that so many people seem to think that I do."

"No one thinks you're crazy, Sasuke. Not me, not Kakashi, not your therapist. We just know that you've gone through a lot and sometimes the wounds that take the longest to heal are the ones we can't see. And you have a lot of those kinds of scars. You don't need medication to make you 'sane', you need it to help you feel better. It's not about you going crazy on us, it's about your happiness. That's all we want. It's all I want."

"Shouldn't you just accept me as I am? Or do I need to be the Sasuke you want me to be before you'll fully accept me?"

"What the hell are you even saying? I fucking chased after you for years! How can you say that? After everything I did to get you back...do you honestly believe I'd go through all of that to help you, just to turn around and tell you to change?! I don't want you to change! I like who you are, I just can't stand to see you suffering! I can't fucking stand it! It hurts to watch you pretend to be content when I know you're not...I just want you to be happy. It's all I've ever wanted. That's why I went so far for you..."

_Damn it. Why'd he have to go and make me feel guilty. Usuratonkachi..._

"What if I don't take the medication? What if I refuse?" He asked, crossing his arms.

"Well," Said Naruto, narrowing his eyes. "I can't force you to do anything you don't want to do. But, I really wish you'd just give it a shot. I just want you to want to help yourself as much as I want to help you."

Sasuke was silent for a moment. He weighed his options and refected on what Naruto had said. He thought back to the day he had woken up next to Naruto, an arm missing. He remembered how Naruto had made him feel, how his words and actions had saved him from the dark and lonely path he was headed on. Naruto was his light at the end of the tunnel, and he felt he really owed him for that.

"Fine." He said, at last. "I don't want to take it. I really don't. But after everything you did for me, it's only fair that I do this one thing for you. If this is what you want, then fine. I'll do it."

"Sasuke, I don't want you to do it for me, I want you to do it for yourself."

"Too bad. I'm doing this for you and you alone."

"Promise me?" Naruto asked. His angry expression transitioning to hopeful. "Promise me, you'll really go through with it?"

"I promise." Sasuke confirmed.

A grin spread across Naruto's face and he threw himself at Sasuke, stradling him and hugging him tightly. Sasuke's first instinct was to push the idiot off of himself. Instead, he retrained himself and gave in to the blond's affection. He returned the hug, his arms wrapping lightly around him, daring to go a step farther and placing a kiss on his tanned collarbone.

Naruto laced his hands through Sasuke's raven-colored hair and pressed his lips against the others. They kissed passionately, letting their tongues taste each other, feeling the warmth of each other's bodies. Sasuke broke away for a moment only to remove the blond's shirt and catch his breath. He stared hungrily at the tan chiseled abs he had uncovered and attacked the blond, twisting him around and pinning him to the couch, biting at his neck and lower lip. His animal instincts were rising to the surface and he began to lose control.

Naruto moaned as Sasuke's eager hand traveled down to his groin area and started rubbing, feeling his erection hardening and rebelling against the fabric of his pants. He pulled the blond's zipper down and unbuttoned him, releasing his hardened cock. Sasuke pulled Naruto's pants and boxers off of him and tossed them aside. He grabbed the blond's erect dick and placed his mouth on the tip, sucking on it lightly, teasing him.

"Oh come on, Sasuke, that's not fair!" The sound of Naruto's husky voice drove him crazy. He licked his dick from the bottom up, watching the look on the blond's face with satisfaction. When he felt Naruto had suffered enough, he began bobbing his head up and down, allowing the blond's cock to hit the back of his throat, which acquired him a very good reaction. Naruto's gasps and moans encouraged the Uchiha to give him the best performance he could manage. He ran his tongue up the length and stopped at the tip, sucking hard before plunging back in and deep throating him once more. He felt Naruto's member pulsing against his tongue and within a second his mouth filled with the blond's thick warm cum. He continued sucking as Naruto released his load, moaning and clutching Sasuke's hair.

Sasuke lifted his head, wiping his mouth as it dripped with Naruto's thick release. The blond's cheeks were pink and he leaned back on his arms, breathing heavily. He looked so vulnerable and Sasuke had every intention of taking advantage of that as he stared at him with hungry eyes. "Don't tell me you're worn out already, I'm not finished with you." He smirked and grabbed Naruto's hips, sliding him closer to him. He leaned in close and nipped at the blond's ear "Strip me, Naruto. Show me how much you want me."

Naruto didn't need any more encouragement. He was ready for him. He immediately stripped the Uchiha and pinned him down, trailing kisses along his pale collar bones as his hand gripped his erect penis. He let his finger's play with the tip as he muffled Sasuke's moaning with his own mouth, kissing him, biting his lip, and bringing his tongue to meet the Uchiha's. He broke away from their make-out session to return his favor and placed his lips around Sasuke's hard cock. He mimicked what the Uchiha had done for him and received a good reaction from him as he moaned deeply and grasped the blond's spikey hair, pushing his head further down. "Fuck" his smooth, deep voice sent a tingle down Naruto's spine as he began sucking harder, going deeper.

"Okay, that's enough foreplay. I'm taking over, I want you now." He grabbed Naruto's waist and switched their positions, putting himself on top before turning the blond over. He wet his hand with his own saliva, remembering the raw painfulness they had experienced previously. After preparing Naruto's entrance with his fingers, he grabbed the blond's hips and thrusted himself inside, finding the perfect spot that had worked so well for them the last time. He rocked his body slowly at first, quickening his pace. The faster he went, the louder the blond became.

"Sasuke..." the blond moaned loudly. "Yes, that's fucking perfect don't stop!" His husky voice saying his name was enough to send him over the top. He thrusted harder and faster, squeezing the blond's hips leaving bright red handprints that would have left bruises on a person without crazy fast healing powers. "Unf! Yes! fuck!" And with that, both men busted, releasing their loads creating a thick white mess. Naruto had barely caught his in time, his hand covered in his own cum, dripping between his fingers. Sasuke pulled out of him, his load dripping from the blond's ass cheeks and covering his penis.

Disgusted with the mess, Sasuke left for a moment, returning with two damp cloths. Once they were clean, Naruto pulled the Uchiha to the couch with him and leaned against the Uchiha who stroked his messy blond hair and kissed his forehead. A tender kindness that was rare and irreplaceable."That...that was even better than last night. Damn, whatever you did, it made it a lot less painful." His breathing was heavy, his voice raspy.

"I just lathered my dick with saliva. I don't have any lube so I used that instead. Going in dry isn't good for either of us." His chest heaved as he tried to control his breathing.

"What?! Ew, you got your spit in my ass that's totally nasty! And you say I'm gross..." He crossed his arms and pouted his lower lip.

"Grow up, dobe. Would you rather I rubbed you raw again?" He laughed softly and ruffled the already messy blond hair.

"No...but that's still super gross. We need to buy some lube."

"You are so cute when you're pouting." Sasuke said, mockingly, and pulled the blond into a choke-hold, tightening his hold on Naruto the harder he tried to fight against him.

"Oh come on, Sasuke! Quit it! Im not cute! I'm manly as hell and you can't even handle this!" He laughed as he pushed his hands against Sasuke's hard chest, still failing to escape his clutches.

"I can't handle you? Oh no, it's you who can't handle me. I think I've already proved that." He winked and began jabbing at the blond's sides, causing him to cover his mouth, suppressing laughter.

"S-Stop! Stop it you freakin j-jerk!" He erupted into laughter as he sunk to the floor, the merciless Uchiha unyielding in his shenanigans. Since when did Sasuke Uchiha have a playful side? Or was this his passive-aggressive torturous side? Probably the latter, Naruto decided.

"Oh, so you're ticklish are you? So fucking adorable." He laughed darkly as he continued torturing the blond, who's eyes were watering and cheeks were reddening. "This is just too precious." He said, monotoniously.

"N-no! S-stop! I c-cant t-take it!" He laughed until his throat burned and his side's ached.

Sasuke finally ended the torture and leaned against his sofa, smirking as he watched the blond clutch his side and steady his breathing. "You're mean, Sasuke." he laughed as he gave him the finger and stood up from the floor to retrieve his clothes. Once he was fully clothed he found Sasuke's clothes and threw them at his face. "Get dressed, teme. I wanna go get some ramen."

"Tch. Fine. You never get tired of that stuff, do you?" He stood up and pulled his pants on.

"Get tired of the best thing ever? Um, no. Never." He watched Sasuke's abs disappear beneath his dark gray cut-off, and found himself missing them immediately. Then he remembered he was also wearing one of Sasuke's cut-offs and sighed. "Fuck, I'm wearing the Uchiha symbol on my back! That won't look good...damn it! I wonder if my shirt is dry yet." He rushed down the hall and retrieved his semi-dry shirt, frowned and put it on anyway, cringing at the slight dampness which made him uncomfortable. "Oh well." He strugged and made his way back to the living room where he found Sasuke leaning against the door, twirling keys around his finger. "Well, let's go dobe."

~0~o~0~

As they walked through the busy streets of Konoha they received an overwhelming amount of glares and whispered profanities and insults. Well, one of them received them anyway. But as close as they were, Naruto felt that any negativity Sasuke received harmed him as well. He hated it. He clenched his fists and tightened his jaw. The Uchiha noticed how bothered he was and touched his arm lightly. "Ignore them, Naruto. It's okay." But before Naruto could respond, they were greeted by a worried looking Hyuuga.

"Naruto-kun!" She wrapped her arms around him gently and released him, meeting his blue eyes. "I was worried about you. You never showed up to help with the constrution...Kiba and I were looking everywhere for you. Are you okay?" She glanced at the Uchiha for a moment and quickly looked away upon noticing his dark expression.

"Oh, shit! Damn it, I totally forgot!" He smacked his forehead and sighed. "Kiba's going to kill me."

"So, what happened? You just simply forgot?" She fidgeted with her hands uncomfortably as she felt Sasuke's eyes burning a hole into her.

"I was training" He scratched the back of his head and smiled weakly. He immediately felt guilty for lying to her, but on the other hand, telling the truth was not an option. "I lost track of time and then I totally forgot about helping with the library."

"Oh, okay. Well as long as you're okay." She smiled brightly at him. "Kiba may not be so forgiving though...please approach him with caution." She stared at his sunshiney face, admiring his handsome features. Then her smile faded when she noticed how his bottom lip was swollen and red, he had marks on his neck, and his hair was messier than usual. She felt a knot form in the pit of her stomach and fought to mask her feelings. A panicked feeling bubbling up inside of her._ No, he wouldn't. He said he was training, that explains it. Nothing to worry about._

"That mutt will get over it. Now, if you'll excuse us, we're kind of busy." Sasuke glared at her and grabbed Naruto's arm pulling him past the blushing girl.

"Uh, sorry, Hinata! I'll see you later, kay? Sorry I worried you!" The blond called after her, stumbling, as he was drug away from her. "Jeez, Sasuke. You don't always have to be so rude to her."

"And why not?" He gritted his teeth and released the blond's arm when he noticed he had tightened his grip.

"Sorry." He mumbled as he began to calm down. "I just don't like her." 

Just as Ichiraku's came into sight, so did a certain pinked haired kunoichi. "Hey, Sasuke-kun!"

"Great. What now?" Sasuke frowned as he glared at her.

"Jeez, you're sure in a chipper mood." She rolled her eyes at him. "Listen, Lady Tsunade sent me to find you. She needs to see you about something. She's in her office at the clinic. You should go now, she stressed that it was pretty urgent." She turned her attention towards Naruto and smiled. "Hey, Naruto."

"Hey, Sakura-chan!" He grinned widely at her and changed his expression when he noticed Sasuke staring at the ground, frowing.

"Sorry, Naruto, I guess we'll have to take a rain-check" His said reluctantly and turned to face Sakura. "You should go with Naruto to get some ramen so he won't whine about being lonely." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and began to walk away. "I'll see you guys later." He sighed and headed towards the clinic with a heavy nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach.

~0~o~0~

_Don't be a pussy, just knock on the damn door. You're doing this for Naruto. _

Sasuke stood nervously outside of Tsunade's office, his second thoughts tempting him to make a run for it. He knew what this was about and he wasn't sure if he was ready to accept it just yet. Taking a deep breath, he tapped his fist on the door.

"Yeah, come in!" her voice was a mixture of irritation and exhaustion.

He crept the door open and inched inside, stuffing his hands back into his pockets. He skeptically looked around Tsunade's messy office which was littered with open books, scrolls, papers, and alcohol bottles.

"Well? Are we going to get this over with or what? Sakura told me that you said this was urgent." He glared at the back of her head and she fumbled through a filing cabnet, cursing under her breath.

"Oh, Uchiha, it's you." She turned around to return his glare. "It is urgent. I have your medication."

Sasuke sighed dramatically. "As I thought."

"But before I give it to you, we need to have a serious talk." She motioned to the chair in front of her desk. "Have a seat."

~0~o~0~

"You're seriously going to eat a fourth bowl of ramen?" Sakura stared wide-eyed at the blond as he plunged his chopsticks into a sea of noodles and fish cakes. "I really shouldn't be so surprised, given your history, and yet I still can't help but be grossed out every time."

"Well, in my defense, this is the first thing I've eaten today. I was starving!" The pink haired kunoichi cringed as he spoke through a glob of mushy noodles. He swallowed upon noticing her queezy expression. "Sorry, Sakura-chan. I never did learn proper manners I guess." He shrugged and invited some more of his favorite meal into his mouth.

"Well, it's about time that you did. Especially now that you and Hinata are getting serious."

Naruto almost choked on his noodles. "Woah, let's not get carried away here, Sakura. We're not getting serious, we're just casually dating that's all. I mean, I'm still not sure if I even want to ask her to be my girlfriend or not." He was lying again. He knew for an absolute fact that he would not ask her to be his girlfriend.

"What? You're kidding right? Naruto..." She sighed and placed her hand over his. "Okay, listen, I have no right to try and force you into this. It's just like Sasuke and I, huh? I liked Sasuke, but he didn't return my feelings and yet I just kept trying to make it happen anyway. But, that's just not how these things work. It takes two. If one person doesn't feel the same as the other, than that's not fair for either of them is it?"

"Sakura...are you finally going to stop chasing after Sasuke then?" He stared at her in utter shock.

"Mhm. I've matured in more ways than one, you know. I finally realized that there is no point in going after someone who doesn't want me. I told Sasuke how I feel, so if he returns my feelings, then he'll let me know. I can't keep chasing him and waiting around for him. If he doesn't want to be with me then I don't want to be with him either. I'd rather be with someone who desires me as much as I do them."

"Sakura..." The blond smiled wide and wrapped his arms around her, squeezing tight. "I'm so proud of you." She hugged him back despite her lack of oxygen. He released her when he heard her begin to gasp for air.

"So, you don't want to make things official with Hinata then?" She cocked an eyebrow and stared at him questioningly. "I thought things were going well. Did something happen? I mean, I saw those marks on your neck earlier...they're gone now but I know I saw them. Did you two...because if you did and now all of a sudden you aren't interested anymo-"

"No, no, no! Gah! Sakura we didn't...ugh, you have to make everything so awkward." He buried his face in his hands.

"So...then who?" Her eyes widened and her mouth hung open.

"Nobody! I didn't do anything with anyone just drop it please?" His voice was full of desperation.

"Okay, I'll spare you this time. But remember you're one of my best friends, you can talk to me about anything. Whenever you're ready to talk about it, I'm here. And I won't say anything to Hinata. I'll stay out of your business, that's between you and her."

"Thank you Sakura-chan"_ but if she knew it was Sasuke, would_ _she be so understanding?_

~0~o~0~

Sasuke Sat across from Tsunade, tapping his fingers nervously on the armrest. His eye twitched in impatience as she ignored him and prepared herself a mix-drink.

"Well?" He was aware of how rude he was sounding, but decided she deserved it anyway.

"I don't appreciate your tone, Uchiha." She looked up from her alcoholic beverage to glare at him. "Okay, isten, I'll be honest here. I don't really like you much. But Sakura and Naruto are very close to my heart and you mean the world to them. For what reason, I may never know. But, I feel obligated to protect you because that means protecting them as well." She stirred her beverage and took a sip.

"Okay...so just what is this all about?" He raised an eyebrow and sat up a little straighter in his seat.

"You need to be more careful. And by more careful, I mean if you slip up one more time you're through. The councel is very displeased with your outbursts. They agreed to let this medication be your last chance. But they weren't going to tell you that." She took another sip and added another shot of sake. "You're lucky Kakashi cares about you so much, he asked me to have a private talk with you about the situation. He's always surrounded by anbu so he couldn't really go behind the councel's back without them finding out."

"So what you're saying is that if I have one more outburst, that's the end of my probation? I'm automatically dismissed and will never get my title back? I'll never serve the village as a shinobi again? Just one more time and I'm done?" He squeezed the arm rests unconsciously.

"Yes. And another thing I'd like to warn you about while I'm at it, this prescription is...very strong. It's going to turn you into a zombie. And if I know you, this isn't going to be something you'll tolerate. I imagine you'll change your mind and rebel. And we all know how you are once you've made up your mind. I advise you continue the medication because it will most definitely supress your anger, but, if you simply refuse to continue it should you decide you aren't fond of it's side affects, I suggest you find another way to cope. Find something that releases pent up anger and frustration. And don't, under any circumstances, let anyone find out you've stopped taking your pills."

"That won't be an issue. I made a promise to Naruto, and I plan to keep it. I'll continue the medication no matter how much I hate it. I will not break his trust." He spoke confidently, keeping eye contact.

"We'll see about that, Uchiha. Just remember what I've told you." She began to take another sip of her drink when there was a pounding on the door. "Just a moment!" She quickly moved her glass out of sight and replaced it with a small white paper bag that she pulled out of her desk drawer. She handed it to sasuke and gestured towards the door. "You're dismissed. Oh! And your instructions are to take one pill when you wake up and another with your lunch. Just make sure it is six hours apart and roughly around the same time every day. And do not take them on an empty stomach. Good luck, Uchiha."

Sasuke nodded and exited her office. Outside of her door was a nervous looking young woman wearing a white lab coat. She looked him up and down and blushed before turning away and entering Tsunade's office. Any other man would have been flattered, Sasuke just rolled his eyes and continued on his way. He suddenly understood why he was never interested in any of his fangirls. He wasn't interested in girls at all. He smirked to himself and turned out onto the busy streets to find Naruto.

~0~o~0~

Sasuke could hear the blond dobe laughing from several feet away. He pushed through the crowd to discover the wiskered nin surrounded by his friends. Among them was Hinata who was holding onto his arm and giggling. Sasuke's blood turned to fire. His eyes narrowed and he gritted his teeth. _Calm down, Sasuke, one more outburst and you're done. Stay calm...don't freak out..._

"Sasuke! There you are!" Naruto's grin covered the majority of his face as he beamed like sunshine at the sight of the Uchiha.

"Hey." Sasuke's tone was cold and dark. He avoided looking at them and stared at the ground, trying desperately to control his temper.

"Something wrong, Sasuke-kun?" Hinata stared innocently at him, still clinging to Naruto's arm.

"Psh. He's always like that, Hinata. In case you haven't noticed yet, he's kind of an ass." Kiba snorted as he leaned against Akamaru. He recieved a few chuckles from Chouji and Shino. Shikamaru shook his head, Sakura and Naruto clenched their fists.

"Shut it, Kiba!" The pink haired kunoichi punched him in the arm and he yelped.

"He's had a rough day, leave him alone." Naruto's voice was full of concern that showed in his eyes as he turned to Sasuke. "Everything okay?"

"I'm just going to go home. See you later." He pushed past the group of friends, making sure to shoot an angry glance at Hinata before disappearing in a flash.

"Jeez, Sakura, you didn't have to hit so hard!" Kiba rubbed the fresh bruise on his arm as Akamaru licked his face in an attempt to comfort him. "I don't know why you guys always defend him. He's a jerk to everyone, why should we worry about how he feels? He doesn't care about us."

"You just don't understand him like we do, Kiba. He's not as terrible as you think." Sakura crossed her arms and glared at him, looking quite dangerous.

"Whatever you say." He rolled his eyes and flinched when she raised her fist. She lowered it, feeling satisfied at his embarrassing reaction and everyone laughed.

Naruto stared at the spot Sasuke disappeared at, feeling worried. His silence hadn't gone unnoticed and Hinata tugged at his sleeve, looking up at him with a frown. "Are you okay Naruto-kun?"

"Yeah...just worried about Sasuke. I think I'm gonna go make sure he's okay." He turned his attention back to his group of friends and said his goodbyes. He quickly went in the direction of Sasuke's house, praying that things had gone well with Tsunade.

~0~o~0~

When Naruto arrived at the Uchiha's home, he was sitting cross-legged on his front porch staring at the darkening sky, a small white bag held tightly in his hand.

"Hey." Sasuke's voice was quiet and he did not look at him.

"Hey. So, what was that all about? Is everything okay?" He took a seat next to him and stared up at the sky, admiring the colors of the setting sun.

"I recieved my prescription." He shook the bag and tossed it beside him. "And apparently this is my last chance to prove myself. One more outburst and I'm done. So let's hope this shit makes me normal." he sighed and propped his elbows on his lap, resting his head in his hands.

"What? That's not fair! They can't-"

"Don't. They can, and they are. There isn't anything I can do about it." He bit his bottom lip and closed his eyes, still attempting to calm himself.

"We'll get through this, Sasuke. This medicine should help you and I'm always here if you need me." He leaned his head on the Uchiha's shoulder.

"Are you sure? Because the way it's looking, I'm going to have to pry you away from Hinata." He jerked his shoulder up, making it clear that Naruto's head was not welcome there.

"Hey, what the hell?! What are you talking about? I told you yesterday...I don't want to be with Hinata. You don't need to worry about her." He rubbed the side of his head and glared at him.

"Then stop letting her hang all over you. Stop letting her act like she's your girlfriend. If you don't want to be with her then tell her. I'm not going to compete with that weak pathetic Hyuuga girl." He returned Naruto's glare.

"I didn't think you were the jealous type, teme." Naruto smirked at him which he quickly learned was a mistake.

"Jealous?! I'm not jealous! Expecially not of her. You can't lead both of us on, it's not fair. You need to tell her you aren't interested." He expression was menacing.

"I'm not trying to lead anyone on...I'm just not good at this sort of thing. Hinata is really sweet, I just don't want to hurt her feelings. And I don't want people to find out about us and it'll look weird if all of a sudden-"

"You don't have to tell her about us! Just tell her she's fucking boring and you wasted your time and move the fuck on! I'm tired of seeing her all over you. I don't blame you for being ashamed of me, but to use her as a cover up? That's pathetic."

"She's not a cover-up! I wouldn't do that...that's wrong. I wouldn't use someone like that. And I'm not ashamed of you, I'm just not ready to tell people about us. It's gonna take some time for me to get comfortable with that idea."

"Whatever. Clearly you care about her feelings more than you do mine. If you don't have the guts to tell her to go away than I'll fucking tell her. And trust me, if I do it, it won't be pretty. I'll have the little bitch in tears." He clenched his hands, digging his nails into his palms.

"Wow, Sasuke. She hasn't done anything wrong...why are you being so terrible?" His bright blue eyes widened and stared at his friend who was physically shaking with rage.

"She's crossing into my territory. And I'm not going to put up with it." He cringed at his own words.

"Your territory? Sasuke, I am not your territory! I'm a person, damn it. You don't own me, and I'm allowed to be friends with her. You know me, I'm not going to do anything to hurt either one of you. I will talk to Hinata and explain that I don't feel the same way and I will always be here for you. I wan't to be with you, Sasuke. You're the one I want. You don't need to worry about her. So please, don't freak out on me every time she comes around."

Sasuke stared off into the distance, collecting his thoughts. He wanted to scream but he wanted to resolve the issue even more so. He took a deep breath and put out the flame that raged inside of him. "I start my medication first thing in the morning. Starting tomorrow, you won't have to deal with my anger anymore." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Stay with me tonight?"

Naruto leaned his head against Sasuke's and rubbed his back in a comforting motion. "Of course I'll stay, teme. I'll always be here when you need me."

**A/N**:** Okay so first of all...I don't know why I keep injuring Kiba. I love him but it's so much fun beating him up. Secondly, I know, I know, poor Sasuke. But I think that realistically he would be struggling internally after suddenly changing sides after the war. I think he's the type of person to be too proud to admit that anything is wrong but he would end up breaking down. I think that Naruto would be the only person to see his soft side, and I think without missions and revenge to focus on, he would have a much harder time controlling his emotions. Also, I realize that it seems like I made them move too fast in their relationship but in my head I just imagine them being so natural and comfortable with eachother like everything just falls into place like it was waiting to happen. Idk. Anyway, please review and let me know what you think! Reviews make my day. (:**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: LATE. IM SO LATE. So, funny story, the factory I work at just went into overtime so I've been working 60 hour weeks which has greatly affected my free-time. ;-; But here I am, with another chapter! I really hope you like it. **

**DISCLAIMER: Kishi-sensei owns the Naruto universe and all of it's characters, I only use them for my sadistic and fluffy pleasure. **

**WARNING: Um, the beginning of this chapter is a little dark. Also, lemons. Proceed with caution**.

~0~o~0~

Sasuke pulled the covers off of himself and stepped out of bed. His throat burned and his mouth was dry, forcing him to leave the comfort of his warm cacoon of blankets and pillows to seek out a beverage. He made it half way across his room when he felt a sick feeling creep inside of him.

_Something's not right..._

He looked around the dark room, noticing a faint red glow radiating from the walls and floor. Deciding to blame it on the fact that he was only half awake, he continued towards the door. Once he reached it, it disappeared. He whipped around and noticed that his window had vanished too. And where was his bed? His other furniture? His heart pounded in his chest as his eyes darted around searching for what he knew he would not find.

_What the hell is going on?_

Something warm was dripping onto his face and arms, it slid down his flesh and pooled on the floor beneath him. He looked upwards at the source of the dripping and noticed the ceiling was leaking, it looked as if it were raining inside of his room. He brought his arm up to examine the foreign substance.

_Blood?!_

His body shook and his stomach turned. He fell to his knees, splashing into an ever-growing sea of crimson red. He slapped his hand over his mouth and clutched his stomach, fighting the urge to get sick. More and more blood spilled from the ceiling, soaking his hair and clothes. It clung to him, the smell was nausiating, the taste like iron, the warm wetness uncomfortably drenching him and surrounding him with no escape.

_I have to get out of here_.

He stood and immediately collapsed. His body stung, it burned as if he had been set on fire. His eyes squeezed shut tightly as the pain grew stronger. When he opened them he looked down to find that he was completely naked and covered in long horizontal gashes. His head jerked up as if someone had forced it and he saw that he was surrounded by blades. They were laying all around him in puddles of blood.

Jagged shards of silver metal began to rain down on him. He covered his head with his arms and felt the blades crash into his flesh, blood squirting into the air and splashing into the puddles around him. He screamed in agony as his arms fell limp at his sides.

_This is a nightmare, I'm sleeping, this isn't real. I need to wake up! now!_

Suddenly, he could feel his matress beneath him and the warm blankets that surrounded him. He could feel the presence of someone near him and could hear the faint sound of muffled snoring. _Naruto! _He tried to move but felt as if his body were made of lead. He tried to speak but could not pry his lips apart.

_Move, damn it!_

He desperately attempted to scream, but to no avail. Panic washed over him as he inwardly struggled to wake himself up. He felt his chest tighten and his head throb with pain as he tried to breathe, feeling himself suffocating at his failed attempts to gasp for air.

_Fuck! I can't move, I can't speak, I can't breathe...Naruto please help me...please wake me up! God damn it, wake me up!_

Sasuke felt a hand on his shoulder, shaking him violently. He jolted up and immediately gasped for air, taking in as much oxygen as his lungs could hold. He felt his hair sticking to his face from the persperation that covered his skin. His clothes clung to him and his hands were shaking.

"Sasuke! Are you okay? I woke up and noticed you weren't breathing." Naruto squeezed the Uchiha's hand and stared at him in worry.

"I-I had a nightmare and then...it was like I knew I was alseep so...I guess...that means I was awake then... I don't know what the hell it was but I couldn't move or do anything but just lay there, aware of my surroundings. I'm fine now, it just freaked me out." He pulled his damp shirt off of himself and tossed it into the laundry hamper near his bed.

"Woah, that's freaky. Does that happen to you a lot?" Naruto's face paled as he thought of the horror that the Uchiha had experienced.

"No. I've had plenty of nightmares but this is something new. I really hope this doesn't become a regular thing." He stared at his shaking hands and willed them to stop but they disobeyed him.

"I hope it doesn't either. So, hey, we don't even need to be up for another fifteen minutes...and I was thinking that maybe...we could..." He trailed off and averted his eyes in embarassment.

"Um, don't take this the wrong way, I find you really attractive and all and I'd really love to ravish you, but after that experience I dont know if I'll be able to, you know, get it up"

"Oh, no, I just meant...I want to...ugh you're going to make me say it aren't you?" He swallowed and looked away to hide his blushing cheeks and mumbled "I wan't to cuddle." He cringed at the word.

Sasuke smirked. "Yeah. Come here, dork." He leaned back against his headboard and patted his chest, inviting the blond.

Naruto layed his head on Sasuke's chest and wrapped his arm around him, squeezing him tightly. His sunshiny face was beaming with his signature grin as he basked in the attention he recieved from the usually distant Uchiha.

Sasuke took in the sight of his smiling lover. He never imagined he'd end up with someone like him. Actually, he never thought he'd end up with anyone for that matter. Who would have guessed that someone so affectionate and rediculously energetic could be his perfect match? He'd always hated people like him, and yet here he was, fucking _cuddling _with his childhood best friend. And he realized in that moment, he wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

"This feels strange." Sasuke said, absentmindedly.

"What does? Gettin' cozy with another dude?" Naruto snickered.

"And the fact that it's you. I never imagined I'd end up here."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I never imagined I'd end up here either. I still don't see how you're so calm about this..." He losened his grip and lifted his head to stare up at Sasuke's peaceful face.

"I'm calm about it because it feels right. Although, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little concerned." He placed his hand on Naruto's head and played with his messy hair. "I don't want this to affect your shot at becoming Hokage. Being involved with another man is one thing. Being involved with me...well, people are already bitter about our frienship. My reputation isn't the best, I just don't want to end up dragging you down with me." He wrapped his arms around the blond and pulled him tightly against his chest and rested his cheek on the top of his head.

"I don't care about that stuff." Naruto said, a little annoyed. "I'll make them see the real you. I'll change their minds. I promise. And I never go back on my word! That's-"

"That's your nindo, your ninja way. Yeah, I know." Sasuke smirked.

_Beeeep! Beeeep! Beeeep!_

"Well, time to get up, dobe." Sasuke stretched his arm out and silenced the screaming machine. He threw the covers off of them, rolling his eyes at the sounds of protest from the blond and made his way to the bathroom. He turned his shower on and opened his medicine cabinet to get a toothbrush when he noticed a transparent orange bottle sitting in plain view. "Oh yeah..." he felt his heart drop as he grabbed it. He swallowed nervously and twisted the cap off, staring at it's contents with a frown.

"Don't be nervous." Naruto entered the room and placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "It'll be okay, these will help you."

"I hope so." He placed a pill on his tongue and swallowed it dry, cringing at the repulsive taste it left behind. "I hate pills." He placed the bottle back in his cabinet, swaping it for his toothbrush.

"Well, I think it's better if you wash it down with water...but whatever floats your boat, teme" Naruto kissed the Uchiha's puffed out cheek and grinned. "I've got to get back to my place to change and get cleaned up. I'll meet you at the construction site." He turned to leave and stopped abruptly before making it through the door "Oh wait, where are we assigned to today? I forgot to check last night."

"The library again. We're behind now because we both skipped out yesterday. Which reminds me, kiba is going to be a pain in the ass. If these meds don't work make sure I don't kill him because I just might try to if he starts his shit with me again. Stupid mutt." He spit out minty foam and cupped his hands underneath the sink, letting water fill his palms and used it to rinse out the pasty remnants from his mouth.

"Don't worry I'll clobber you if you try anything" he grinned widely and turned away. "See you later, teme"

"Tch."

Sasuke pulled the shower curtain back and stepped in, he let the hot water run over him as he closed his eyes. Steam surrounded him, blanketing him in a warm comforting way that allowed him to untense his muscles and relax his body completely. He had always found showers to be the most peaceful part of his day and since his time as a rogue had forced him to go without such luxuries for longer than he was comfortable with, he took full advantage of every opportunity.

A mess of thoughts swirled around in his brain. He was feeling something he wasn't used to and it bothered him. He was nervous. Very nervous. Since he had come back to Konoha he experienced the feeling more than he cared to admit. It was strange to him, because he had always been very confident and ready for anything that could possibly be thrown at him. But now, he was dealing with things he never thought he'd have to face. It wasn't in the plan to come back here. Without his revenge, he felt lost.

With a deep sigh, he squeezed a small pool of menthol shampoo into his palm and lathered it into his raven black hair. He scrubbed vigorously, the cool tingling sensation indicating that he would be properly cleansed. He stepped back into the shower's stream and let the hot water rinse out the soapy foam until there wasn't a trace of it left. He scrubbed the rest of his body and rinsed off the remainder of the soap as the water began to cool.

He searched through the dissipating steam and grabbed a towel. He dried himself off, feeling satisfied with the fresh clean feeling his shower had left him with, and walked into his bedroom to get dressed. His clothes were neatly folded on the end of his bed with a small sheet of paper resting on top. He raised an eyebrow and picked it up.

_I put your clothes out for you. You're welcome, teme._

_p.s. You look hot in this, that's why I picked it. _

_-Naruto_

Sasuke's lips curled into a smirk as he set the note aside and slid on his pre-determined outfit. He was now sporting a black V-neck cutt-off, the Uchiha emblem on the back of course, and a pair of army green pants, that just so happened to be a little tighter than the rest of his pants, and were equipped with several different zippered pockets.

"Well now that I apparently look 'hot', I guess I'm ready to get this day over with." He sighed and spritzed himself with cologne before heading out to face the day.

~0~o~0~

"Oh hey, nice to see you! So glad you decided to show up today, Uchiha!" Kiba's sarcasm earned him a punch to the arm from an annoyed blond.

"Leave him alone kiba. I told you yesterday that he was having a rough day. Stuff came up, it's not his fault. So drop it." The wiskered nin put his hands together and produced a few shadow clones who grabbed hammers, saws, and slabs of wood. They immediately got to work as naruto gathered his own materials.

"Okay. Fair enough. So what was your excuse then?" kiba climbed up a ladder and began hammering a sign into the side of the building.

"I lost track of time while I was training. It was an honest mistake. And then after Sasuke told me about his day, I was helping him with some stuff." He frowned in annoyance as he struggled to draw a proportionate square on a large cut of wood.

"You guys spend an awful lot of time together. I bet Hinata's getting jealous of Sasuke. I mean, shouldn't you want to spend all of your time with a pretty girl instead of this asshat?" He laughed to himself as he climbed down from his ladder. He looked up and frowned at the crooked sign.

"Haha, Kiba, very funny. And what the hell, you were just saying that Hinata and I are too clingy! So which is it? I think you just like to annoy me."

"Yeah, well, I think you just can't decide which one is prettier and there's some kind of weird love traingle going on. I mean what guy our age spends that much time with another dude? Especially such an arrogant jerk like Sauce over there." he smirked at the Uchiha who paid no attention to him. "Honestly if I were you, Naruto, I'd pick Hinata she's a way better person than he is."

_Oh God, that's it, Sasuke's gonna snap...Kiba went way too far with this one! _The blonde turned to look at the Uchiha, nervously, only to find him quietly doing his work. Relief washed over him. "Shut the hell up, Kiba! There is no love triangle. Don't be weird. I just got my best friend back, excuse me if I want to hang out with him."

"A friendship requires effort from both people. Your precious Sasuke only cares about himself." He pryed the nail out of the sign and repositioned it. He replaced the nail and hammered it in a second time.

"First of all, you don't know how he is at all if that's what you think. And second, why are you only a douche when he's around? Can't you just play nice? Jeesh." He wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead and erased part of the square he drew, alligned his ruler and drew it again.

"Why? He doesn't." Kiba licked his fangs and turned towards Sasuke, raising an eyebrow. "Hey, asshole, why are you so quiet? It's no fun if you don't fight back! I've insulted you a bunch of times and you haven't even said a word! Aren't you mad?" He crossed his arms and leaned against a sleeping Akamaru.

"Hm? Oh...yeah. Shut up." The raven-haired nin didn't break his focus on his work as he spoke, depriving Kiba of a proper argument.

Kiba growled. "Seriously? That's it? You're not gonna go all psycho on me? Psh, no fun." He turned his attention towards the blonde and cocked an eyebrow. "Um, Naruto, you do realize this is a library we're building, right? The window needs to be a lot bigger than that."

"You are such a pain in the ass today! Just mind your own business...don't you have work of you own to do instead of just harrassing me and Sasuke all day?" He huffed and turned back towards his outline and frowned.

"He's right." Sasuke rested a hand on the blonde's shoulder and reached for his pencil. "May I?"

"Uh...yeah. Go for it." Naruto stared wide eyed at the Uchiha. _He didn't call me "usuratonkachi" or "dobe" or anything and he's actually being nice about helping me! I think I'm going to like this new Sasuke!_

The raven haired nin layed the ruler down and began tracing a large rectangle across the board. His face was emotionless and his movements were fluid and graceful. Naruto stared at him as he worked, admiring the way his biceps moved and how every time he lifted his arms he could see his lower abdominal muscles and the band of his boxers exposed. He lowered his gaze to examine his ass, which was outlined perfectly in the pants he had chosen for him, not too tight yet not too loose. _Just perfect. _

"So fucking hot"

"What?" Kiba raised an ebrow.

"Uh, it's really hot out today." Naruto wiped his forehead and smiled nervously.

"Okay, Naruto. This should be good. The window you outlined was fine but for a place that is specifically for reading, it's very crucial that there be plenty of sunlight. Artificial light can cause headaches when reading for too long so natural light is best suited for a library." He set Naruto's drawing supplies aside and handed him a saw. "You can cut it out now. Be careful, okay? This thing was recently sharpened." He turned away and went back to his own work.

Naruto and Kiba stood open mouthed and wide eyed, staring at the Uchiha's back as he worked.

"Um, Naruto?"

"...Yeah?"

"What the hell did you slip into his tea this morning?"

~0~o~0~

Sweating, tired, and dirty, the three shinobi left the construction site for a much needed lunch break. Kiba and Naruto chatted and laughed loudly about juvenile things while Sasuke walked silently beside them with his hands in his pockets, staring at the ground.

"You guys up for Ichiraku's?" Naruto put his arms behind his head and grinned.

"Yeah, I could go for some ramen." Kiba agreed, petting Akamaru's head as he drooled in approval, his tongue hanging out.

"You guys go ahead. I need to go back to my place for something." He looked at Naruto who nodded, realizing what he needed to go back for.

The Uchiha parted ways and headed towards his home, leaving Naruto and Kiba to themselves. They made their way to Ichiraku's and took a seat at the end of the booth. They both ordered their usual and an extra bowl for Akamaru.

"So I still can't get over how Sasuke was acting. He's never that nice. _Ever_." Kiba twirled his chopsticks between his fingers as he waited for his meal.

"Yeah. The guys my best friend, but man, I gotta admit that it was pretty freakin sweet to go that long without being insulted. I hope he stays in this mood for a while." Naruto laughed and broke his chopsticks apart as his bowl was set in front of him.

"Sasuke is way more tolerable when he's nice but I gotta say, I really do enjoy fighting with him. It's so much fun. Shino just sulks and guilt trips me when I insult him. You and Sasuke are the only people I have fun with because you guys actually put up a proper fight." He plunged his chopsticks into his newly aqcuired ramen and slurped up a large mass of noodles.

"Are you really that bored that you need to start fights with people for entertainment?" Naruto slurped up his own noodles, forcing his cheeks to puff out like balloons.

"What can I say? I'm fiesty. And Hinata and Shino are not the kind of people you can have a decent argument with or even just play around with. You got lucky, Sakura and Sasuke are both the type to fight back. You guys argue all the time, it releases stress and pent up anger but at the end of the day you guys are all pals and no one ever holds a grudge. I wish I had that with my teammates." He plucked up a fish cake and threw it into the air, catching it in his mouth. "Oh and speaking of my teammates. What's going on with you and Hinata? Dude, are you going to make the move or not?"

"I thought we went through this already. I don't know. I don't think I return her feelings and it wouldn't be fair if I asked her to be my girlfriend knowing that it probably won't last." He tipped his bowl, letting the hot steamy liquid flow into his mouth. He gulped it down and sighed with satisfaction as he set the empty bowl on the counter.

"Man, you're an idiot. If I had a girl like Hinata head over heals for me, I'd put a ring on it in a fucking heartbeat. You're so lucky and you don't even know it." He finished up his noodles and set his bowl down. "I hate you sometimes."

"I can't help it, man. She's just not right for me." He scratched the back of his head and frowned down at his lap.

"Dude, don't tell me you're still after Sakura...I hate to sound like a dick or whatever but, um, she's not into you. She's another Sasuke fangirl. Always has been, always will be. So if you don't snatch Hinata up quick, you'll end up alone at your teammates' wedding." He laughed as he set his bowl down on the floor for Akamaru to drink up the rest of the broth.

Naruto exploded with laughter. "Trust me, Kiba. Those two won't be getting married." He wiped tears from his eyes and clutched his stomach. _Sakura's the one who's going to be the third wheel and nobody will ever see it coming. _

Kiba stared at him with a raised eyebrow. "Um...okay. Weirdo. Live in denial if you want, but I'm just saying Sakura isn't interested, bro."

_Well that's okay because she's not the one I'm interested in either. She doesn't know it yet, but her competition isn't Ino, it's me. And there's no competition, Sasuke's mine. _

~0~o~0~

Sasuke leaned against his bathroom wall, pill bottle in hand. He stared blankly at it for a long time before unscrewing the cap and popping a pill into his mouth, swallowing it quickly before the taste could settle on his tongue. He stepped forward and saw the room spin, he caught his balance by grabbing hold of the sink in front of him. He stared at the blurry faucet and blinked until his vision straightened out.

_When was the last time I ate? Did I eat breakfast? Shit...I'm supposed to take this with food. _

He placed the bottle back behind the mirror and made his way to the kitchen. He scanned his cabnets and fridge, feeling repulsed by everthing. Nothing sounded pleasing at all. He forced himself to eat a tomato, since it's his favorite food he thought he could stomach it. After the first bite he tossed it in the trash.

_Fuck it, I'm not even hungry. _

He snatched his keys from the kitchen counter and proceeded to his front door where he slid his sandals on and made his leave. As he walked through the streets back to the construction site, people stared, as usual. They whispered profanity as they passed him, as usual. They pulled their children away from him, as usual. Sasuke barely noticed. He stared back uncaring as a man shoulder checked him and yelled "traitor". It didn't bother the Uchiha in the slightest.

When he aproached the half-finished library, he found Naruto and Kiba and quietly began his work. Naruto climbed to the top of a ladder, holding two nails up to his nipples and making kissy faces at kiba, who was rolling on the ground laughing. Sasuke glanced for a moment and went back to his work, uninterested. He carefully traced an outline for the entrance doors and grabbed a saw, cutting slowly and evenly.

"Shit!"

The laughter stopped as Naruto lost his balance and came crashing down. Sasuke whipped his head around to find Naruto tangled in the ladder on the ground, laughing as kiba pointed and snickered at him. Sasuke rolled his eyes and turned back to his project. He noticed crimson red trickling down his left arm and found that he had cut it when the blond startled him. He stared blankly at it, watching the warm liquid slide slowly down his injured limb.

"Woah, Sasuke, you okay?" Naruto rushed over and put a hand on the Uchiha's shoulder, peaking over it at the fresh cut. "How is it that I'm the stupid one who falls off of a ladder and it's you who gets hurt? And weren't you the one who told me to be careful with that?" He turned away and retrieved his backpack, which he opened, and pulled out a first-aid kit.

"Let me see it." The blond crouched down beside Sasuke and gently took hold of his arm. He spritzed the wound with some anticeptic and wiped it clean before placing a bandage over it. His hand lingered on the Uchiha's arm for a moment as he examined his blank expression. "Hey, earth to Sasuke, you doing alright? You're white as a ghost."

"Dude, I think he's gonna pass out!" Kiba stood beside Naruto, waving his hand in front of Sasuke's face. The Uchiha's expression went unchanged.

"Sasuke?!" Naruto placed his hand on his forehead, his eyes widened as Sasuke's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell to the ground.

The blond immediately reached for the Uchiha's unconscious body and leaned him against his chest. "Kiba, grab my water bottle!" He followed orders and handed the bottle to Naruto who poured it over Sasuke's face and hair. "He's burning up. Do you think it's heat exhaustion?"

"Could be." Kiba shrugged and leaned forward to pull Akamaru off as he licked Sasuke's face, leaving a slobbery trail of drool.

Sasuke blinked and lifted his head slightly, staring at his surroundings in confusion. He put his hand to his face and pulled it away, staring at the glob of drool with disgust. "Ew. What the fuck is that? And what happened?" He turned to Naruto, who was still holding him against his chest and had his face dangerously close to his own and turned towards Kiba, who stared down at the scene with his eyebrow arched and his mouth curved into a frown.

"Get off, dobe." He sat up and pushed the blond away who looked hurt for a moment before noticing Kiba's expression.

"You guys are so weird with each other." He turned away and went back to his work.

"Are you okay? You cut yoursef and got super pale and just passed out. Which is weird becauses you can't be bothered by blood, you're a freaking ninja for Christ's sake!" Naruto threw his arms in the air for dramatic affect.

"Naruto, you need to be careful around your friends. They're going to figure us out." He whispered as he glared at the wide-eyed blond.

"Oh...yeah. Shit! Sorry, it's just...you were hurt. And what about earlier? You put your hand on my shoulder and whispered sweet nothings into my ear! Okay...maybe not sweet nothings but you were really nice and cute and you never act that way! You're the one who's gonna give us away, teme!" He spoke as quietly as he could manage while still conveying his annoyance.

The Uchiha rolled his eyes and stood up. "I don't know what happened just now, I'm not squimish at all. Must be the heat."

"Yeah, probably, it is really hot out here." Kiba turned his head to reply and smirked. "Can't handle a little heat, Uchiha? Psh, baby." He laughed and returned to his hammering.

"Tch." The Uchiha rolled his eyes and picked up his blood stained saw. He stuck it back into the wood and fought to keep his concentration as his focus went in and out. He felt light-headed and weak. He shook his head and pushed through the dizziness and continued cutting.

~0~o~0~

Hours had gone by and the sun was beginning to set. Shadows grew longer, covering the village in steadily growing darkness. The library's contruction was well under way with minimal work left to do. The three shinobi stood back looking over the building with satisfation.

"Damn, we rule guys. Check out how far we've gotten! Tomorrow we'll install instilation and start laying down shingles on the roof." Kiba patted the top of Akamaru's head and turned away from the building, leading the other two into town.

Naruto grinned widely at Kiba's comment and put his hands behind his head as he walked, Sasuke held a poker face beside him, blankly staring ahead, hands in pockets. They made their way through the mostly empty streets of Konoha in silence, all lost in their own thoughts and too exhausted to make any proper conversation.

After a short while, Kiba said his goodbyes and turned down another street. Naruto and Sasuke were left to themselves only for a moment before they turned a corner to find themselves in the presence of the Hyuuga heir. She immediately gave Naruto a small hug and greeted him sweetly. A casual glance was given to the Uchiha who was barely paying attention. He did not recieve a greeting.

"Naruto-kun, would you like to join me for a walk? I was hoping I could talk to you about something and it's such a lovely night..." She blushed and twisted a delicate finger through her hair.

"Oh...um..." The blonde turned to Sasuke, searching his face for any objections and found none. The Uchiha seemed unbothered by her. _Well, this is a first. _

"Go ahead, Naruto. I'll see you tomorrow. I'm pretty beat, so I'm just going to get some sleep. Long day." He turned away from the two and continued down the street and disappeared into the darkness of the night.

Naruto stared after him, mouth hanging open. _What the hell is going on? You were supposed to hog me all to yourself and tell her to get lost! You were supposed to get mad and drag me away! You're just going to leave me here with her? What the..._

"He hates me, doesn't he?" She lowered her head and stared at the ground, twisting the bottom of her jacket uncomfortably.

"Who, Sasuke? No way...he's just...he's just like that, ya know? He doesn't play well with others." He laughed and scratched the back of his head in an attempt to break the awkwardness.

"Well that's sort of what I wanted to talk to you about. I really like you, Naruto. I just wish I could get along with your best friend because I know he means a lot to you. But he always seems to be angry with me, I don't think he wants to share you." She laughed nervously as her cheeks became pink.

"I'm all he's got so he can be a little selfish at times. But he really is a good person. He's just been through a lot. He's not good with people. Like Sai, only less weird, not as friendly, and a lot more bitter."

"But you're not all he has, Naruto. You're just the only person he wants to acknowledge. Don't you find it a little strange? He follows you everywhere, he gets angry when I'm around, and he doesn't open up to anyone except you?" Her entire face was red now and she anxiously played with the ends of her hair as she spoke, staring at the ground.

"Well, he's just having a hard time adjusting to being back here. There's nothing strange about that, right?" He half-smiled at her. She frowned back at him.

"That's not what I meant...nevermind. I'm just being silly, I suppose. Don't worry about it. You know him better than I do so I'll take your word for it." She smiled weakly and placed her hand on the blonde's arm, standing on the tips of her toes to place a soft kiss on his cheek.

"Hinata...I think we need to talk."

~0~o~0~

Sasuke walked alone down the dark path that led to his home. His hands were trembling, his head pounding, his vision blurry. He focused on keeping his breathing steady and staying alert. He felt weak, and he hated it.

As he neared his house, he noticed a male's sillouette leaning against his door frame. He descretely pulled a kunai out of his back pocket and approached him cautiously. As he closed the distance between them he recognized the stranger immediately.

"Shikamaru, what are you doing here?" His voice was soft and weak.

"If you two aren't careful, people are going to find out. They're starting to notice, you know." He spoke as if he were bored and raised an eyebrow at Sasuke's blank expression.

"What are you talking about? Just get to the point, I'm tired and I'm not in the mood for this." He slipped his kunai back in his pocket and crossed his arms.

Shikamaru sighed heavily "I know about you and Naruto."

Sasuke's heart stopped. He stared wide-eyed and swallowed nervously. "I don't know what you're talking about. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get some sleep" He walked to his door, which was blocked by Shikamaru, and glared at the lazy nin with annoyance. "Move."

"Sasuke, listen. I'd rather be in bed too, trust me. I'm not trying to be a dick or anything, I'm trying to help you out. Don't bother pretending either, my spelialty is analyzing things and I noticed a while ago. And I honestly don't care. I'm not here to judge you or harrass you or anything like that. Your relationship with Naruto is none of my business and if you two want to be together then who am I to tell you it's wrong? If I'm being honest, it doesn't even surprise me."

"You're right, Naruto and I's relationship is none of your business. So go away." He narrowed his mismatched eyes and glared daggers at him.

"Okay, I'll make this quick. People have been talking...they don't think you two really are together, they just make up theories and laugh about it. But, sooner or later they're going to notice other things about you two and eventually you'll get caught. It's innevitable. They're good people but they may not be as accepting about the situation as I am. I'm just giving you a heads up. They're starting to catch on, and if you're worried about getting found out then you might want to be a little more cautious."

"I don't give a fuck what they think. If they find out, they find out. I'm not worried about it." He pinched the bridge of his nose and shut his eyes tightly, focusing on keeping his balance.

"How does Naruto feel about it?" The lazy nin raised an eyebrow at the Uchiha, already knowing his answer.

"He..." Sasuke sighed heavily. "He isn't ready for people to find out..."

"I figured. That's why I wanted to warn you. If you really care about him, you'll make sure no one finds out until he's ready." He raised his hand and scratched the back of his head, looking off to the side. "Listen, Sasuke. I don't really like you much, and I never really have. We've never gotten along, but I don't hate you. And as long as you don't go and do something stupid again, I think you'd be good for Naruto. You obviously care about the guy and after everthing that's happened and how protective you are of him...just don't crush the guy okay? I'm going against my better judgement here, and I'm choosing to trust you."

" I'll make sure no one finds out until he's ready. And I don't plan on hurting him." His body began to sway and he grasped the door frame for balance. "You have my word, your friend is safe. Now, are we done here?" His voice became weaker the more he spoke and he was fighting for concentration. He had to get rid of Shikamaru before he ended up passing out again.

"Yeah..." The lazy nin stared questioningly at the Uchiha. "You look sick, you should get some rest."

"You think?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes as Shikamaru smirked and walked past him, finally leaving him to himself.

Relief washed over Sasuke as he hastily entered his home, heading straight for the bedroom where he immediately dropped onto his bed. He stared at the ceiling above as it seemed to spin, along with the rest of the room around him. His lips tingled, his body felt numb and light. He closed his eyes, welcoming the pitch black silence and willed himself to drift to sleep.

Minutes went by and those minutes soon became hours. He layed motionless, eyes half open watching the slowly changing shadows on the walls. _Tsunade was right, I feel like a zombie. I fucking hate this medication and it's only been a day. What the hell am I supposed to do?_

He stared out his window, taking in the view of the moonlight pouring through the branches of the trees and spilling into his bedroom, easily slipping through his sheer drapes. He sighed and recounted his conversation with Shikamaru. People were noticing the closeness between Naruto and himself and he knew it was only a matter of time before people found out the truth. He played with the idea of convincing Naruto to just come out. If it was innevitable anyway, they might as well just tell them. Right?

Then another thought crossed his mind. What if Naruto's friends took it well? What if they accepted it? That would be a major relief on Naruto's part. But, on the other hand, what would happen when the rest of the village found out? Sure, Naruto was a hero and admired by pretty much everyone. But Sasuke...his reputation wasn't as great. He was despised.

His friendship with Naruto was already making people uncomfortable. It was partially accepted due to Naruto's hero status and because pretty much everyone knew about everything he had gone through to save Sasuke. But what if they knew that he wasn't just friends with the Uchiha? Would they start to change the way they thought about Naruto? Would they be disgusted? Would they be suspicious and worried? Not many people trusted Sasuke. Would they stop trusting Naruto too if they found out about his true relationship with Sasuke?

Would that affect Naruto's chance at becoming the next Hokage?

There was no way in hell Sasuke would allow himself to get in the way of Naruto's life-long dream. He couldn't bare the thought of keeping the blond away from achieving the thing he had worked so hard for all these years. And Naruto had become so strong...he had done so many wonderful things. Sasuke truly believed noone deserved that title as much as Naruto did.

And suddenly, Sasuke felt that keeping this secret was more important than he thought. Naruto's friends being grossed out was one thing, but, to keep Naruto from achieving his dream? That was unacceptable.

The sleep-deprived Uchiha cringed as the dim glow of the rising sun spilled into his room. _Morning...great. Just fucking great. _

Coming to terms with the realization that he would not be getting any sleep, he forced himself out of bed, got cleaned up, and grudgingly swallowed another pill. He later found himself standing in his kitchen, staring into his refridgerator with disinterest once again. He sighed and pulled out a few ingrediants, which he placed in a paper bag and folded shut. After slipping his sandals on, he locked the door behind him and walked across the dewy grass towards the rising sun.

~0~o~0~

Naruto was sprawled across his bed, snoring loudly, limbs dangling off the edge, and drooling on his unfortunate pillow. A break in the silence, caused by a harsh knocking on the door, sent the blond falling to the floor. He groaned and sat up, rubbing the top of his head that collided with his night stand.

"Who the hell is here this early in the morning? Uggghhh!" He stood angrily and stomped to his apartment's front entrance. He opened the door, revealing a tired looking Uchiha holding up a brown paper bag.

"I'm making you breakfast, move over." The raven-haired nin pushed past the blond, slid his sandals off and went straight to the kitchen. He began pulling out the bag's contents and placing them on the counter. He rummaged through Naruto's cabinets and pulled out a rice steamer and some other needed cooking supplies.

"You woke me up for breakfast? I'm cool with that." He laughed and grinned widely. "So watcha makin'?"

"Sorry to disappoint, but it isn't going to be instant ramen. I'm making real food. All you eat is junk, keep it up and you're going to get fat one day and I'm not going to let that happen. If that's what I wanted, I'd be at Chouji's right now." He stared emotionless at the dried strips of seaweed he was dipping in soy sauce.

Naruto errupted into laughter. "I always pegged you as the shallow type but when you picked me I figured you were more of the deep emotional connection type, so I'm flattered that you actually find me attractive too. And don't talk shit about Chouji, he'll squash you with his expansion jutsu." He wiped tears from his eyes and approached the Uchiha, wrapping his arms around his waist as he rolled steamed rice into the soy sauce coated strips of seaweed. "So what are you making?"

"I'm making nori and broiled salmon. And for the record, you were a goofy looking kid but time has been very kind to you. You've become quite handsome. Also, the deep emotional connection is more important to me than appearance, just so we're clear." He set the Nori on a plate and put it to the side and began sprinkling salt onto small peices of salmon. Once the salmon was prepared, he set them in the broiler and set a timer.

"Aw, Sasuke, you're too kind. So, not trying to nag you or anything but did you even sleep last night? You've got bags under your eyes and you look exhausted. We've got a lot of work to do today, I'm just worried. I don't want you to pass out again." He placed his palms on the kitchen counter and lifted himself onto the surface, sitting and dangling his legs off the edge like a restless child.

"Okay, first of all, get off of the counter. How old are you? That's unsanitary, food is prepared there!" He glared daggers at the blond until he obeyed.

"Okay, mom. Jeez." He rolled his eyes and jumped off, deciding to lean against the counter instead and crossed his arms in defiance.

"Anyway, no, I couldn't fall asleep. I think insomnia might be a side effect of the medication or something. And, to be honest with you, I didn't eat anything yesterday and I'm pretty sure that, accompanied by the fact that it was extremely hot out, was the reason I passed out. I have an appointment with my therapist today so I'm going to talk to her about it. I'm a shinobi, I can't afford to be weakened by this." He sighed and rolled his eyes as the blonde's expression transitioned from worry to panic. "Calm down, dobe. I'm fine. I just feel like shit. I didn't want to tell you yesterday because I knew you'd overreact. Don't make me regret being honest with you now."

"Sasuke! You should have told me! This is serious-"

"Oh here we go." The Uchiha crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at the blond.

"Stop acting like this isn't a big deal! I can't believe you lied to me yesterday! You said it was the heat, why didn't you tell me the truth? And why didn't you eat anything? Even if you weren't hungry you should have forced it down or something! Ask Kakashi-sensei to take the day off. You didnt sleep, you need to at least rest until your therapist gets your medication sorted out and things get fixed because you can't work like this! You look like you're dying or something! I didn't think your skin could get any whiter...I'm really worried!" He spoke so fast that he had forgotten to breathe and inhaled deeply at the end of his rant.

"Are you finished?" Sasuke paused, waiting for an answer that did not come. "Okay, I told you, I'm fine. So please, chill out. You're making this a way bigger deal than it really is. I'm not going to die after one day of not eating or sleeping. I'm not taking the day off, I refuse to sit at home and you will not convince me otherwise. I will force breakfast down with you, I will go to my therapist and ask for a different medication or dosage, and we'll work on the contruction later. That is what's going to happen. Everything will work out, I will not die, and everything will be fine." The timer began to ring and he turned away to pull out the cooked salmon.

"Fine." Naruto narrowed his eyes and pouted his bottom lip. "But from now on, you better be honest with me!"

"Tch." Sasuke placed the pieces of salmon on a plate and set it, along with the plate of nori, on Naruto's dining room table. He returned to the kitchen for chopsticks and glasses of water and finished setting the table. "Come get some breakfast, dobe."

The two of them sat together quietly for a moment before Naruto broke the silence. "This is really good, Sasuke. I didn't know you could cook." He smiled softly at the blank faced Uchiha who only nodded in response. "Listen, I'm sorry I freaked out on you. I know I can over-react sometimes...I just worry, ya know? I trust you to make good decisions. You're smarter than I am, you know how to take care of yourself. I'm sorry." He placed his bandaged hand on Sasuke's shoulder and stared into his mismatched eyes, smiling brightly.

The Uchiha stared back with an emotionless expression that faded the blond's smile. "Thank you."

The rest of their morning was mostly silent, with the occasional bickering over trivial things like Sasuke cleaning up the mess and refusing Naruto's help or Naruto poking and proding the Uchiha simply to get a reaction. The poking and proding soon became kissing and wrestling, as Sasuke pinned the blond down and bit at his neck. The playfulness fizzled out when the Uchiha took notice of the frog themed clock on Naruto's living room wall.

"Well, my appointment is in about twenty minutes so I should get going. Wish me luck." He brushed Naruto's messy blonde hair out of his bright blue eyes and kissed him tenderly on the lips.

"I should get to the contruction site actually. I can walk you to your appointment. It's on the way..." He stared hopefully at the blank expression on Sasuke's face that transitioned into happiness.

"Yeah, I'd like that. Let's go."

~0~o~0~

When the two shinobi reached the mental health clinic, they awkwardly stared at one another and said quiet goodbyes. Naruto lingered for a moment, watching Sasuke walk up the steps and disappear behind the large wooden double doors. He breathed a heavy sigh and scrunched his face with worry before heading towards the unfinished library.

Inside the clinic, Sasuke sat impatiently in the waiting room. His legs were crossed and his fingers tapped rythymically against his knee. He stared around the bland room, feeling his sleep deprivation creep back into him as he examined the black and white photos that were sprinkled along the eggshell white walls. He began to nod off when he heard a sharp voice pierce through the deafening silence.

"Uchiha, Sasuke." A stout, bored looking woman peered up from her clipboard at the waiting room's only occupant. "She's ready for you now."

The tired Uchiha nodded and rose from his seat. He followed the woman down a brightly lit narrow hallway and nodded again once they reached his destination. He entered the room quietly and took a seat, watching his therapist rummage through her filing cabinet and pull out a manilla folder with Sasuke's name on it. She adjusted her glasses and took a seat at her desk.

"So, Sasuke. I understand that you began taking your new medication yesterday. Is that correct?" She peered up at him and tapped her pen against the desk.

"Yes." His voice was clear and even and his posture was straight.

"How did your first day go? Did you experience any episodes of anger or the need to hold back any rage? How did you feel?" She continued the pen tapping and held her gaze on Sasuke's face, examining his expression.

"I didn't experience any anger, I felt pretty calm most of the day. But there are some things I'm concerned about." He shifted his position and cleared his throat as his therapist raised a neatly trimmed eyebrow. "I think I'm experiencing some side affects and they could become a problem."

"Oh? What sort of side effects?" She seemed to perk up upon hearing his statement and re-adjusted her glasses.

"Well, I can't eat or sleep. At all. I had to force breakfast down this morning and honestly, I wanted to purge it almost immediately. And last night even though I was exhausted, I could not fall asleep no matter how hard I tried." He held eye contact as he spoke and focused on speaking clearly despite his tiredness.

"I see. Is that all then? Nothing else?" She leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms.

"No. That's it." He narrowed his eyes at her lax behavior.

"Well then, I don't see the problem. Those are common side effects. You may experience sleepless nights and a loss of apetite. Weight loss is also normal. However, if you experience seizures, suicidal thoughts or actions, or frequent vomiting then there certainly is a problem with the medication but these side effects you are experiencing now are minor. You will continue the prescription as is." She broke eye contact to scribble something down in her file.

"So, what you're saying is that I have to just deal with being dizzy and passing out as a normal every day experience? You don't see this as a problem?" He swallowed and felt his hand twitch.

"Just be sure to rest accordingly. I'm sure that the Hokage will understand if you need to take a day off every now and then. There are plenty of able bodied shinobi to work on the construction sites, your absence should not cause a problem."

"Are you sure that a lower dosage isn't an option? I mean, I'd really rather not have to worry about being too weak to work." He stared blankly at her frowning face.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke, but with your mental state, a high dosage such as this is much needed. And you've stated that it did improve your mood. By lowering the dosage we will be putting it's effectiveness at risk." She repositioned herself in her seat, sitting straighter. "Now then, since that matter has been settled, why don't we move on to our usual questions?" She pulled a few crisp papers from Sasuke's file and placed them evenly on her desk.

"Sure." He felt numb.

~0~o~0~

When Naruto arrived at the construction site, Kiba had already begun his work. He stood at the top of a ladder, staple gun in hand. Upon hearing the blond approach him, he stepped down and turned towards him, tossing the staple gun aside.

"What the hell did you do to Hinata?" He bared his fangs and narrowed his eyes.

Naruto felt his blood freeze in his veins as his heart stopped. "I-I just told her that I didn't want a relationship but I'd like to stay friends...why do you look so angry? What did I do? I thought I went about it pretty nicely." He focused all of his energy on staying calm.

"She came to me teary eyed and heart broken last night. She cried on my shoulder for at least an hour. Nicely my ass! You made her think everything was going great and then out of nowhere you just tell her you aren't interested? Do you know how shitty that is? You fucking crushed her!" He balled his fists as Akamaru growled at his side.

"Listen, I didn't mean to hurt her...you know I'm not good at this kind of thing...I wasn't trying to lead her on, I'm just too friendly I guess. I didn't wan't to hurt her...I really didn't" He pleaded desperately, attempting to get through to his friend. "Please understand."

"Understand? I _**don't**_ understand...how could you throw away her love? You were so lucky and you didn't even care. She was ready to give you everything and you just pushed her aside! She's the perfect woman and she was all yours. And now she's broken." He turned his head away, unable to look at the blond. "I bet Sasuke is beyond happy. I bet he's the one who made you change your mind. He hates her for no good reason. Did he convince you to throw her away? Did he brainwash you into thinking you don't need her?"

"Sasuke had nothing to do with it! I made this decision on my own! And he doesn't even know yet...I purposely didn't tell him yet because I knew he'd get all smug around her and I don't want this to be any harder on her than it already is."

"Sasuke is a piece of shit. If he throws his victory in her face I swear to God-"

"He's not going to throw his victory in her face! I'll talk to him, I just wanted to wait just in case he got too cocky-"

"So you admit it then? You turning Hinata down means that he wins? You chose him over her? I thought you just said he had nothing to do with it!" His fists were trembling.

"I-I..." Naruto stared at the ground and bit his lower lip. He searched his brain for the right words, desperately trying to think of a convincing argument.

"You can't let him control your life Naruto. You've always let him control you. When he left you risked everything to get him back and now that he's back you're sacrificing everything to keep him happy. But what about you? Grow a pair of balls you pathetic fucking child. Choose what makes you happy, not _**him**_."

_**"But he is what makes me happy!" **_

They stared wide-eyed at eachother for a moment. Naruto's heart was racing and his body felt heavy with shock. _Fuck, fuck, fuck! I did not just say that!_

"He makes you happy?...what the hell is that supposed to mean?" He frowned and raised an eyebrow at the trembling blond.

"He's my best friend, Kiba. He's finally home and I just don't want him to leave again. I just meant that our friendship is important to me. And the Hinata thing...he really didn't have any part in it. I decided she wasn't right for me on my own." He stared hopefully at Kiba, inwardly praying that he had convinced him.

"Whatever, Naruto. You guys are fucking weird. And turning down Hinata is definitely weird. If I were the one she wanted, I would have fucking cherished it. I would have given her everything. But no, it was you she wanted. And the saddest thing about it was that I thought out of all the guys I know, you'd be the most kind and protective of her. I hoped that you would give her what she deserved since I couldn't, but you just threw it all away. You had everything I wanted and it didn't even matter to you." He bit his bottom lip and glared at the ground, fighting back tears.

"Uzumaki, Naruto." The blond whipped his head around to find an anbu knealing before him. "The Hokage has requested for you to see him in his office." After recieving confirmation from the blond, who nodded in aknowledgement, he flickered and dissappeared with a flash.

"Kiba...please don't be angry with me. I gotta go, but I'll explain everything later. Just don't think I'm a bad person, I have my reasons." He recieved no response from the brunett as he kept his head lowered towards the ground. _Just please don't hate me when you find out the truth. _

~0~o~0~

When Naruto entered Kakashi's office, the masked Hokage was sitting indian style on the top of his desk. An Icha Icha book in hand and stacks of paperwork surrounding him, the blond could only assume that he was procrastinating. When he heard the wiskered nin open the door, he looked lazily up from his book and signaled a smile with his curved eyes.

"Good morning, Naruto!" He closed his book and set it aside, focussing his attention on the distraught looking blonde.

"Good morning, Kakashi-sensei. So what's this about? I'm not in trouble am I?" He narrowed his eyes at the silver haired man who simply laughed in response.

"No, no, not at all. I recieved word from the Kazekage that he'd like for you to come speak at Suna's ninja acadamy. He said you're the most inspirational person he knows, and since the kids all know who you are and look up to you, he thought it would be good for them to hear from their hero what being a shinobi is all about."

"Really?" Naruto's face lit up as he pumped his fist into the air. "Alright! I haven't seen Gaara since the end of the war! And talking to kids who think I'm a hero sounds totally cool! I can't wait to go inspire the hell outta those little ninjas!" His grin covered the majority of his face and Kakashi laughed at his enthusiasm.

"I'm glad to see you so excited. I figured you would be." He plucked a paper from one of the surrounding piles and examined it for a moment. "Oh, looks like you'll have to leave tomorrow to get there on time. Sorry, I meant to pass on this information sooner but I got lost on the path of endless paperwork."

"No biggie. I've been so bored with all this construction work. I'm glad to have something to do, don't get me wrong, but after months of just building stuff...I could use a change-up." He put his hands behind his head and flashed his signiture squinty-eyed smile.

"Well good luck to you, Naruto. I'm sure you'll be great. Now, if you'll excuse me, I should probably get a start on these files before the counsel throws a hissy fit...again. See you when you get back!" He scooted himself off of his desk and began sifting through endless folders.

"Thanks, Kakashi-sensei. See ya!" With a much brighter mood, the blonde left smiling, with anticipation to relay the good news to his Uchiha lover.

~0~o~0~

When Naruto returned to the construction site, Sasuke was working quite a distance away from Kiba. Both boys were wearing dark expressions and working much faster than usual. Naruto approached the site cautiously and quietly asked the Uchiha what had happened, to which he replied with a grunt and sigh, without pausing his work. The rest of the day was awkward between the three as no one said a single word. When the day had come to an end, Kiba left with Akamaru without so much as a 'goodbye'.

"So, Sasuke, wanna come to my place for a bit? There's a bunch of stuff I wanna talk to you about! Plus, you still need to tell me about your appointment. I'll even give you one of my ramen cups if you're nice." He laughed and punched his friend lightly on the shoulder.

The Uchiha was anamused. "Yeah, sure, I guess." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and stared at the ground as he walked.

"Something wrong?" Naruto's smile faded into a frown as he examined the gloomy Uchiha.

There was no response from the raven-haired nin as he filled the air with an awkward silence that hung over them until they reached the blond's apartment.

"Tondaime" Naruto whispered to himself in habit as he lead Sasuke into his home.

"Why do you always say that? It's kind of pathetic." He rolled his eyes as he slid his sandals off.

"Don't be a douche, Sasuke. I meant it when I said you'd only get a ramen cup if you were nice. And so far, you're watching me eat one." He narrowed his eyes at Sasuke's poker face and made his way to the living room, where he plopped himself down on a dingy orange couch. He smiled at the Uchiha and patted the seat next to him. "Come sit with me, teme."

With a sigh, Sasuke obeyed the blond's order. "So what is it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Well first off, you need to tell me about your appointment. I have to know what happened now or I'll die. And then you gotta tell me what the hell happened between you and Kiba. And then I'll tell you my thing." He put his hands behind his head and leaned back. He stared at the Uchiha, eagerly waiting for his response.

Sasuke stared blankly at him for a moment before sighing and rubbing his eyes tiredly. "My therapist won't change my prescription. She said that since this medication is working and the side-effects are only minor, she doesn't want to mess with it. And the Kiba thing isn't important."

"Minor?...Minor?! What the hell? How is not being able to eat or sleep a 'minor' problem? I should go fuck her face up with my Giant Rasengan!" He breathed heavily, his chest heaving, arms flailing.

"You're kind of sexy when you get all protective." Sasuke smirked at the raging blond.

"I'm just so pissed! It's not fair!" He balled his fists and glared at the floor.

"I can handle it, Naruto. I promise if I feel like I can't handle the work, I'll just rest up. I'll take it easy, I'll make this work." He ruffled the blond's hair playfully for reassurance.

"Okay...I trust you...I'm still pissed about this though." He crossed his arms and pouted. "So tell me the Kiba thing. I'm just gonna bug you until you do so just give it up, teme."

"Nothing really happened, dobe. When I got there he was being all pissy and wasn't talking and I was in a bad mood because of what happened with my therapist so we didn't talk. Not that we would have spoken to each other anyway. So calm down." He stared at his lap as he spoke and fidgeted with the excess material on his black pants.

"Oh. Thank god, I thought you two got into a fight or something." He sighed his relief and perked up. "So are you ready for my thing now?" He smiled brightly at Sasuke who looked completely uninterested.

"Whatever. Let me hear it."

"I'm going to Suna! Gaara wants me to come talk to the acadamy students about what it means to be a shinobi and give an inspiring speech and stuff! Apparently those kids see me as a hero or whatever. Pretty cool, huh? I'm really excited, I really need a break from the same old daily rutine, ya know? Without missions, I've been getting pretty restless and this sounds like it could be pretty fun. I'm hoping I can get Gaara to spar with me...I mean, I know he's the Kazekage and he's busy and all that but man that would be so awesome!" He spoke excitedly, incorporating hand movements and detailed facial expressions to convey his feelings.

Sasuke stared back, blank faced. "You're leaving? For how long?"

The blond scratched the back of his head and pondered his answer for a moment. "Well, Let's see, it takes three days to get there...so three days to get back too...and, well, I'm not sure how long I'll stay there. I was thinking a couple of days at least. So I guess I'll be gone for a little over a week."

Sasuke's eye twitched. "I hope you have a good time." _Over a week? I'm going to be alone for over a week?! _"When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow."

"...Tomorrow?..." _What? You can't just up and leave me here all alone like this out of nowhere! _

"Hey, is something wrong?" Naruto's smile faded as he sensed the Uchiha's unhappiness.

"No, just tired is all. I think it's cool that you have this opportunity. I'm sure the kids will enjoy the pep talk."

"I'm kinda worried about it though...I mean what if they're expecting some super cool tough guy and then it's just me, a dorky idiot wearing an orange jumpsuit?"

"At least they'll get a good laugh." He smirked at the clearly offended blond. "So since you're going to be gone for while, you should let me stay the night." He ran his hand down Naruto's thigh and nipped at his neck. If they were going to be apart for a while, he was at least going to get a farewell fuck. One last act of intimacy before he was left alone.

"Aw, you're going to miss me aren't you, teme?"

"Tch. I just want to get laid a few more times before you leave me sexually frustrated for a week." He smirked and unzipped the blond's bright orange pants.

"A few?! Damn, teme, who would've guessed you were such a horny freak?"

"Just shut up, already." He got down on his knees and pulled Naruto's pants off and tossed them aside.

"Nnngh!" The blond gasped and clutched the dingy fabric of his couch as the Uchiha deep throated him. Sasuke wasn't going slow this time, he was going down on him like it was his mission. "Unf, Sasuke..."

The Uchiha's head bopped up and down, pausing only to twist his tongue around the tip of Naruto's erect penis. He massaged the spot just below it, earning him a husky moan from the blond. He ran his tongue from base to tip while making eye contact with the wiskered nin who bit his bottom lip until he broke skin. A small drop of blood formed at the surface.

Sasuke wiped his mouth and got to his feet. He leaned over the blond, kissed his lips, and licked the blood away. He stared into his eyes for a moment before grabbing his hands and pulling him off of the couch. Their lips met again, parting and welcoming each other's tongues. They kissed for what seemed like an eternity before the Uchiha broke away and bent down, wrapping his arms around the blond's thighs to pull him up, prompting him to wrap his legs around Sasuke's waist.

Sasuke held onto Naruto tightly, kissing his neck and nipping at his ear, as he carried him down the hall. He kicked Naruto's bedroom door open, without losing his balance, and threw the blond onto his bed.

"You may want to grab your pillow, Naruto. I'm going to fucking wreck you." The blond's eyes widened, his cheeks flushed. "I'm serious."

Sasuke unzipped his pants, letting them fall to the floor and kicked them aside as he pulled his shirt off. He stared at the blushing blond for a moment before climbing on top of him. He bit and sucked at his tan neck and led a trail of kisses down his torso, stopping at his crotch. He grabbed the blond's legs and wrapped them around his neck before wetting his finger and slipping it into the whiskered nin.

"Nnngh! Sasuke! Fuck!" Naruto gasped and moaned as Sasuke's finger penetrated him. He added another finger when he felt the blond loosen up and pressed his mouth against the other's to swallow the screams.

When his boner was starting to become painful, he slipped his fingers out and, after lubing his dick, he pressed it against Naruto's entrance. He looked to the blond for the 'okay' and as soon as Naruto nodded, he pushed himself into him. He thrusted against the blond with progressing speed, using one hand to stroke Naruto's hard-on.

Sasuke bit his bottom lip and moved his hips as fast as he could. He gripped Naruto's muscular legs tightly, unconsciously digging his nails into him. He broke skin and blood slowly trickled down, sliding onto his tan thighs and dripping onto the bed sheets. The blond screamed a mixture of pain and pleasure, which encouraged Sasuke to go harder. Sweat surfaced on the both of them as they panted and grunted, rocking their bodies to the rhythm of eachother's movements.

"Unf!" Naruto's head flew back as his back arched. His hands grasped the sheets and pulled them into a death grip.

"Say my name." He thrusted as hard as he could into the blond. "Say my fucking name."

"Sasuke!" He screamed his name and sent his hands searching for a pillow which he quickly smashed into his face, biting it hard.

"Unghhh" The raven-haired nin had completed his mission. He released his load inside of Naruto as he exploded on Sasuke's chest.

Panting, Sasuke layed beside Naruto. They listened to each other's breathing as they willed their bodies to cool down.

"It smells like hot steamy sex in here. We should get cleaned up. And, uh, I'm probably gonna have to change my sheets too." Naruto stood, and the Uchiha followed him to the bathroom where they freshened up.

Once they were nice and squeaky clean, Sasuke followed Naruto back into his bedroom, where the blond sifted through his dresser drawers. He cursed under his breath and scratched his head before he pulled out a pair of pajama pants and shirt that he threw to Sasuke.

The Uchiha looked down and frowned at the clothes in his hands. "You can't be serious, dobe. I'm not wearing this! You couldn't pay me enough..." He tossed the clothes back only to have them shoved back into his chest.

"Just put the damn clothes on, teme! It's the best I can do, sorry." He glared at the Uchiha and turned away to put his own pajamas on.

Sasuke stared at the brightly colored fabric in his grasp, eye twitching. Giving in to the cold air against his naked flesh, he grudgingly put them on. He stood angrily, now dressed in baby blue pants sprinkled with images of smiling green frog heads and a bright yellow shirt sporting the Ichiraku Ramen logo.

"Never in all my life have I ever-"

"Bahahaha!" The blond errupted in laughter, falling to his knees and clutching his stomach. "You look so cute! No, cute is an understatement! You are just absolutely precious! This is the greatest thing I've ever seen. Where is my camera?..."

"Shut up! You are not taking a picture of me in this horrendous outfit!" He spoke through gritted teeth and activated his sharingan.

The blond ignored his threat and tapped his chin before throwing his finger in the air. "Oh! I remember where I put it!"

"Naruto! I swear to GOD if you-" The blond was already darting out of the room and half-way down the hall before he could finish his sentence. "USURATONKACHI, GET BACK HERE!" He raced towards him and tackled him to the gound, pinning both of his arms behind his back and straddling his ass.

"Get off and accept your fate, teme! I'm getting that picture!" He twisted his body and shoved his feet into sasuke's chest, kicking him off. He clumsily stood and darted forward, skidding to a halt in front of a shelf in his living room. He stood on his tippy toes and reached for a shiny orange camera that was perched on the highest shelf. He wiped the dust off with his shirt and grinned devilishly.

"Put that god-damned camera down. Now." The Uchiha growled and clenched his fists. "I don't want to have to kill you, Naruto, I'm quite fond of you...but if it comes down to it, I won't hesitate."

"Smile, teme!" The blond raised the camera in front of his grinning face and a blinding flash filled the room. The only image he had captured was that of an outraged Uchiha tackling him to the ground. Camera flashes filled the room like a poparazi convention, stealing still shots of blurred yellow and black, angry and humorous facial expressions, fists flying, and legs kicking.

"Give me the camera, you little shit!" Sasuke's voice broke as he yelled at the top of his lungs. Naruto continued giggling like a school girl and stretched his arm and far as he could, keeping the thing just out of the Uchiha's reach. "Son of a bitch, Naruto! I'm not playing, if these photos are viewed by a single soul I will rip yours right out of your body and send you straight to hell, you damned moron!"

"Oi, Sasukeee-kun, don't be such a Debby-downer! You look fabulous! There's no shame in being so glam, although being THIS glam really should be a crime. I've never seen such a pretty princess in my life!"

"Okay FIRST of all, NEVER call me a 'pretty princess' or I swear to God I will castrate you. SECOND of all, these are YOUR clothes you idiot. So technically you're insulting yourself!" He glared at the giggling blond as he continued his efforts to grab the camera as Naruto restrained him.

"But I'm not insulting you, you really are totally glam right now. And I KNOW that I look stunning in those P.J.'s so I'm not insulting myself either. So, calm down, princess."

That was it. He had done it. Sasuke felt his entire body combust into flames as he broke free from Naruto's grip and snatched the camera from his hand. He immediately opened the back of it to pull the film out. His plan, of course, had been to destroy the evidence. To his surprise, he had found the film slot to be empty. He dropped the camera and locked his fuming gaze on the blond who was rolling on the floor, laughing uncontrollably.

"Oh, man, teme." He wiped tears from his blue eyes. "You were so freaked out! That was the funniest thing ever, oh man, you should have seen your face! I've never seen you get so worked up before."

"Tch." _Wait a minute...i did get really worked up, didn't I? But this medication...I've been a zombie...oh my god..I forgot to take my second pill today! _He stared wide eyed at the floor and clenched his fists. _How could I be so irresponsible? But, being with Naruto like this...actually feeling emotion, letting him affect me with his ridiculous antics...I'll just enjoy this one last night with him before he goes and be more responsible in the future. Just one night to feel like myself again. _

"Oh come on, teme. I won't tell anyone about this. Don't be all gloomy." He smiled at the Uchiha and flashed a peace sign.

"Oh I'm not being gloomy, dobe. I'm just plotting my revenge. And you know how good I am at revenge. If I were you, I'd be terrified." He smirked at the blond as his eyes darkened.

A few tackles and wresting matches later, both men were spent. Panting with exhaustion, they decided to head to bed where Naruto layed his head against Sasuke's chest. The Uchiha played with messy blond hair until the wiskered nin fell asleep, quietly snoring and randomly twitching against his smiling boyfriend.

When morning came, Naruto greeted his sunshine-lit room with a smile and quietly slid out of bed to shower and pack his bags. He stole glances at the peaceful Uchiha, who looked graceful even in his sleep, as he scurried around his room collecting his travel necessities. A kiss to his pale forehead, woke the Uchiha sweetly. He blinked at the glowing man above him and smiled back.

"Good morning, teme."

"Stop saying 'teme' as if it's a pet name, dobe." He smirked and sat up, rubbing the sleepiness away from his blurry eyes.

"I've gotta get going, Sasuke. I just wanted to make sure I said goodbye to you first." His smile faded a little as sadness crept into his big blue eyes. "I had a lot of fun last night. So, since I know you wont say it, I will. I'll miss you."

"Tch." He slid out of bed and retrieved his clothes from the day before, swaping out Naruto's ridiculous P.j.'s with his dark bruting attire. "Good luck, dobe. Have fun."

A passionate kiss and awkward hug later, the two shinobi parted ways. Sasuke headed to his empty house and forced down another pill and Naruto walked through the konoha gates into the sunrise, making his way to Suna.

_I'm gonna miss you, dobe. i hope I can keep it together without you here. _

**A/N: Whew! Long ass chapter guys. Sorry. It may have been painful to read. Hopefully not too painful, though. -.-; ANYWAY next chapter...shit's gonna go down. Yep, prepare yourselves, the drama train has left the station! Prepare your bodies *cough* sorry, eh, minds? FOR ANGST, LOT'S OF ANGST. Ohhh the brutal heavy darkness that awaits you...perhaps I've said too much *scurries away* ...*scurries back* I forgot to mention, I will try my best to get this next chapter out within a week...I MAKE NO PROMISES because work and stuff. UGH. But yeah, Imma try guys, Imma try. Please let me know what you thought, reviews are just the best thing ever, I love hearing from you guys. Love you all, have a good day/night/forever 3 **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: HOLY FREAKIN DILDOS I AM LATE. So, remember at the end of chapter four when I was all like "I'm gonna try to post ch.5 within the next week :) 3" Yeah. Whoops. Sorry guys, I got distracted with other things *coughfanfictioncough* and then the dreaded WRITERS BLOCK happened and yeah. BUT I did get inspired to write a SasuNaru AU which I posted the first chapter to a couple days ago. (: I have too many ideas for my own good. I have three one-shots I want to write as well. Stupid brain. Anyway, this is a little shorter than my usual chapters, sorry for that but I'm finally getting back into the swing of things so hopefully you won't have to wait as long for the next chapter!**

**DISCLAIMER: Kishi-sensei owns the Narutoverse and all of it's characters. I'm just a horny Narutard with a passion for bending pre-existing characters to her will. **

Three days without Naruto.

Sasuke sat, panting, on the ground of a seldomly used training feild located near an unsettling dark forest. He had dedicated the majority of his free time to training in an attempt to not only distract himself, but to feel something. _Anything. _He had hoped that training would be a thrill or at least grant him some form of small excitement. He had been wrong. He felt nothing.

He dismally came to the conclusion that without the real threat of danger a mission offered, training just didn't posess the same adrenaline rush he so ached for. He assumed that sparring with someone may be a little more exciting for him but the problem was that he had no friends to spar with. He briefy entertained the idea of asking someone to spar with him, but, abandoned the idea upon realizing that no one in the village, aside from Naruto, was on his level. Sparring with someone weaker than him held no appeal what-so-ever.

He picked himself up off the ground and brushed the dirt off of his pants. As he turned back towards the village he spotted a pink-haired kunoichi. Right on cue.

"Hello, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura smiled brightly and held up two small wooden boxes. "Time for lunch!"

Sasuke accepted his bento and walked beside her as they headed toward a nearby picnic table. "I thought I told you that you don't need to do this every damn day. I am perfectly capable of preparing my own lunch. And truth be told, I'd prefer to eat alone."

"And I thought I told you that I made a promise to Naruto to make sure that you're eating properly. We both know how Naruto feels about people breaking their promises. I refuse to deal with that. Especially not as a result of your stubborn ass." A vein in her forehead twitched as she broke apart her chopsticks.

"Tch. I don't know what's more annoying, the Sakura that used to swoon over me and agree with every single stupid thing I said or the Sakura that argues, insults me, and forces me to do things I don't want to do." He broke apart his own chopsticks and pulled the lid off his bento.

"Someone has to look after you while Naruto isn't here. And for the record, it's the new Sakura you actually respect and listen to, not the old one. So I'm content with my development, thank you very much." She shot him a pointed glare that he rolled his eyes at.

"Hn. Thanks for the food, Sakura." He graced her with a half smile that she immediately returned.

"You're welcome, ya damn bastard."

"I left you alone with Naruto for far too long. Tch."

~0~o~0~

"What's up guys?" A group of small ninja gaped, wide eyed, at the blond, the girls with hearts in their eyes and pink hues on their cheeks. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki, I'm the jinchuriki of the hidden leaf village and I'm going to be the next Hokage 'ttebayo!" He flashed a bright sunshiney grin as he basked in his glory. The children cheered and whispered excidedly amongst themselves.

"Uzumaki-san!" A small boy shot his arm into the air like a rocket and waved it around impatiently.

"Uh...yeah?" Naruto cocked an eyebrow at the boy.

"Is it true? Are you really the hero of the Fourth Great Ninja War?" His eyes were wide with wonder and his toothy grin practically reached his ears.

"Oh...um...well I did play a pretty big part I guess but I didn't do it all by myself by any means. I had a lot of help! My best friend is half responsible for the Infinite Tsukyomi being released." _A lot of people seem to forget that. Poor, teme. _

"Yeah but you did all the really cool stuff! You were on the frontline the whole time! My dad says you're the hero and you saved us all!" Another boy from the back of the group shouted with pure admiration.

"Oh...uh, that's super cool that he thinks that and all and you guys are really awesome but I really wasn't the sole hero through all this. There were a lot of brave shinobi that played an important role. A lot of people risked, some even gave, their lives and everyone fought with everything they had. Everyone involved was a hero, ya know?" He scratched the back of his head and smiled at the awe-struck kids.

"Um, Uzumaki-san?" A small boy with glasses peered up at him over the head of a blushing kunoichi. "Your friend, the one who helped you release that jutsu, that's Sasuke Uchiha, right?" He pushed his glasses up as he awaited Naruto's response.

"Heck yeah! He actually played a huge part in our victory. He fought like a beast. I would know, I've got a nine-tailed fox inside of me." He laughed as he patted his stomach.

The children all whispered to themselves and frowned.

"My dad says he's a bad guy! Dad says he's probably up to something! Be careful Uzumaki-san, don't let him trick you!" A small timid girl spoke desperately.

"Yeah! My parents said the same thing!" Another child towards the back exlaimed. The rest of the children nodded in agreement.

"Woah guys, I totally get why they think that but you all have my word, he can be trusted now. I've known him a loooong time! No worries, 'kay? He won't do anything bad to me or anyone else." the small ninja stared back silently with uncertainty in their eyes. "So listen up fellow ninjas! I'm here to tell you all about being a true shinobi!"

The children cheered excitedly and sat up straighter. Naruto smiled at their enthusiasm and breifly encountered nostalgia as he thought of his younger days.

"First off, you need to find your own ninja way! Your nindo! Mine is to never go back on my word and to never give up!" There were stars in their eyes as he spoke, admiration radiating from their wide grins. "Always train hard and never stop wanting to get better, protect your comrads no matter what, and be proud of your village, never forget your roots!"

The blond rambled on as the young ninja gave their full attention to his passionate speech. His heart warmed with every cheer and smile he recieved. More than ever, his dream of becoming Hokage burned bright within him. Guiding and inspiring people was in his blood, this was his true calling, he was born to be a leader.

~0~o~0~

The room was spinning, his head was pounding. Sasuke clutched the porcelain bowl as his body shook and the sour feeling in the pit of his stomach rose up through his chest and into his throat. His body was betraying him, forcing him to purge what little food he had eaten. It wasn't uncommon since the start of his medication. He was lucky to keep a meal down and today he was not so lucky.

He leaned back on his heals and wiped his mouth. He stared blanky at the tiled floor, his body swaying as he watched the small squares change their sizes and dance around. With weak knees and blurry vision, he attempted to stand and failed. A few tries later, he gave up. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes.

Within a few hours, his eyes flickered open. He looked around in confusion before he realized what had happened. His stomach growled angrily at him, prompting him to get to his feet and make his way to the kitchen. With a sigh, he turned away before even attempting to search for food.

_What's the point? I already know how this ends..._

He took a seat on his couch and stared at the floor.

_I hate this medication. I fucking hate these stupid side effects. Is it even worth it?_

Naruto's face flashed in his head and he sighed.

_I won't break my promise, dobe. _

He leaned back and covered his face with his hands. He almost missed being angry all the time. Because, at least when he was having fits of rage he was actually feeling something. Now, he only felt numbness or sadness. But, worst of all, he was feeling weak. That emotion was something that was extremely unwelcome to the Uchiha. Weakness was never an option.

_Tap, tap, tap!_

Sasuke uncovered his face and stared blanky at his front door. He raised an eyebrow in confusion and got to his feet.

_Who the hell could that be?_

And then, he recognized the chakra signiture.

_Oh, what the fuck could __**she**__ possibly want?_

He opened his door slowly, poker face firmly cememented.

"S-Sasuke, could I p-please have a word with you?" He narrowed his eyes slightly at her boldness. What was she thinking, actually showing up at his own home?

"Go away, Hinata. I have nothing to say to you. Have a nice day. Or don't." He began to shut his door when her foot stopped the action.

"W-well, I need to ask you s-some questions. Please." She stared back desperately at him. Every ounce of her energy was focussed on refraining from fidgeting. The stuttering couldn't be helped much, but, she was trying as best she could to be persistent and stand her ground. She wasn't leaving without a clear head. No way in hell.

"Is that so? You have questions for me? Well I have a few for you, as well. My first question is how did you ever acquire such amazing bravery to actually come to my house? The second is, what could possibly be going on in that boring little head of yours? That's rhetorical by the way, I don't actually care. And, lastly, what ever gave you the idea that I would actually give you any of my time? I've already wasted too much of it on you already." He crossed his arms and glared at the blushing girl. Only this time, her face had the expression of anger painted over it, and not embarrassment.

"I'm not leaving until you answer my questions. It will only take a moment, please, Sasuke I know how you feel about me...and truth be told, I'm not fond of you either. But, this needs to happen. I need closure, I'm sure you don't care about that, but just hear me out." She glared intensely at the impressed Uchiha. He never would have guessed she'd have it in her to stand up to him.

Whether it had been the result of pure curiosity or a mild from of respect, something had prompted the Uchiha to step aside and allow the Hyuuga girl into his home. She nodded curtiously and stood awkwardly in the center of his living room.

"You can sit down, you know. Tch." He rolled his eyes as he took a seat in a chair near his sofa. He crossed his legs and rested a cheek on his hand. Preparing for the sleep induced coma she was more than likely going to send him into. "Well?"

She sat gracefully and smoothed out the fabric of her skirt. With every ounce of courage she had, she forced her head up and made eye contact with the raven-haired nin. "Before Naruto told me he had no interest in furthuring our relationship...things were going very well. So, as you may be able to imagine, I was very confused by his sudden conclusion..." She shifted awkwardly in her seat and could feel her cheeks warming. "And...and, I couldn't help but notice that you seemed quite displeased with him seeing me...you always pulled him away or glared at me..." Her concentration broke and she began to fidget with the ends of her hair, twirling silky strands between her fingers.

"Yeah, that wasn't exactly a secret, Hyuuga. I don't like you and I definitely wasn't fond of the idea that my best friend would be wasting his time with someone like you. So is there a point to this?" He picked at the fabric of his chair, making his boredom apparent.

"I have the suspicion that you may have been the cause of his sudden detatchment. It's the only thing that makes sense to me. Everything was going so well, he seemed so happy, and then your anger became increasingly obvious and then out of nowhere he tells me he doesn't want a relationship. So I came here to ask you, are you the reason for this? Did you convince him not to be with me?"

"Hn. How pathetic. You really think it was because of me? Let me tell you something about Naruto, since clearly I know him better than you do, he is too kind for his own good sometimes. That sweetness you recieved from the dobe was nothing more than pity. All of those dates he took you on? The result of his persistent friends pushing him towards you. He felt pressure to start a relationship with you. But, in the end, he knew it wasn't what he wanted. Of course I was there the whole time attempting to open his eyes to all of this, but ultimately, it was his own decision. Because while he can be too kind, he also knows what the right thing to do is. And in this case, the right thing to do was to stop leading you on."

The blood froze in Hinata's veins. She stared at the floor and blinked away the tears that had begun to form in the corners of her lilac eyes. "No...you're lying...you have to be. He seemed genuinely happy and you, you were just too selfish to see him happy with anyone else. You wanted to keep him all to yourself!" She clenched her fists and sunk lower in her seat.

"You can tell yourself whatever you want to. Whatever helps you sleep at night. But, you came here for an answer and I've given it to you. And whether or not you believe me, has no effect on me what-so-ever. I told you the truth, take it however you want." He flicked a piece of fuzz off of his arm rest and yawned tiredly. "Now are we finished here?"

"You're in love with him aren't you?" She kept her eyes on the floor as she spoke, heart racing.

"Are you really so delusional that you'll come up with any excuse for him to not want you? Are you truly so arrogant to believe that the only way he'd ever pass you up is if someone pryed him away? Open your eyes, Hinata, he isn't interested in you. You're boring as hell and he just couldn't stand it any longer. I had nothing to do with it. You drove him away all on your own, you saved me the effort. So actually, I should be thanking you. So thanks for being so boring and pathetic." He smirked as he shifted his position.

The ice in her veins melted and came to a boil. She stood from the sofa and glared at the amused Uchiha. "You didn't answer my question, Sasuke. Are you in love with Naruto?"

"So pathetic. Do you really-"

"Answer me!" She blushed furiously, her knees shook. Anger wasn't an emotion she was used to and it was draining and terrifying her.

"That's none of your damn business, Hyuuga." His voice was calm and collected, only serving to anger her further.

"You are. You're in love with him, too. And you manipulated him into thinking I was wrong for him. But, if you think you'll be a better match, you're wrong. You're a terrible person...selfish and mean...if you really loved him you would have just let him be with me. I actually care about his happiness and I would have been good to him. You will only cause him pain." She fought back her tears and she stood defiantly.

Sasuke rose from his seat and crossed his arms. His dark eyes met her misty lavender eyes and she shuddered at the dark vibes that emminated from him. Despite the threatening look in his eyes, he spoke cool and steadily. "Let's get something straight. You have no right to speak of me in that way. You do not know a thing about me or the relationship between Naruto and I. Furthermore, you do not have any clue what would be best for Naruto or what would make him happy. Do you think you know him? Do you really? Because I do. And I know that you can not offer him what he needs and wants. You need to accept that he doesn't want to be with you and just stay the hell away from him. If you cause problems in the future, I will not be as tolerant as I am being this evening. That is a promise."

Tears flooded from her eyes as she bowed her head. "I knew it was a bad idea to come here...what else could I have expected from you? I never should have listened to Sakura, this was a mistake." She wiped her tears and turned away. "You win, Sasuke. You can have him all to yourself just like you wanted. But, just know that when you hurt him, you'll be all alone again." And with a flash of blue-black hair the door slammed behind her.

_Sakura, huh? So she sent her...I'm going to need to have a talk with her then. _

He felt a small amount of irritation build within him. What business did Sakura have getting in the middle of things? Furthermore, why would she send someone he clearly dislikes to his home? He had to get to the bottom of things and make sure that she stayed out of his personal affairs in the future.

He sighed and slipped his sandals on. He needed some fresh air anyways.

~0~o~0~

As he made his way through the crowded streets he kept his eyes on the ground. The death glares and insults had been far worse since Naruto had left. But at the current moment, that was not what was bothering him. The fact that someone had been following him for several blocks had him far more concerned.

_They're hiding their chakra...this could be bad._

Deciding he'd had enough of this little game, he turned into a narrow allyway. He stood in his battle stance with his hand in his pocket, clutching a kunai knife. Within seconds, four anbu were surrounding him.

"Uchiha, Sasuke." The anbu directly in front of him spoke darkly, his voice deep. "Did you really think you'd get away with killing Danzo with just a slap on the wrist?"

_This must be a former root member from the foundation...god damn it. _

"Really?" The raven sighed. "Is that what this is about? You know, that scum deserved what he got. I'd kill that worthless fuck again if I could. I don't know why you root members thought he was so great anyway, he wasn't that strong of an opponent. I was far more advanced than he was at just sixteen. Clearly." He smirked and pulled out his kunai, twirling it on his middle finger.

"How dare you speak of Danzo that way!" A short anbu spat from behind him.

The raven turned his head and rolled his eyes at the masked man. "You're a fool to disagree."

"I hope you don't plan on using that kunai, Uchiha. Have you forgotten about your probation?" the anbu in front of him spoke again, a smirk hinted in his tone.

"If I am attacked I will defend myself. I'm sure that if it's an act of self-defense-"

"Self-defense? And who is going to believe you, Uchiha? I doubt the counsel will believe a traitor over a dedicated group of anbu." Another member to his side spoke this time, his voice monotone and deep. "Just accept your punishment."

By now, Sasuke should have been fueled by rage. He should have been wiping the floor with them and enjoying his victory. But, right now, he wasn't feeling much of anything. No thirst for blood, no battle adrenaline, nothing.

"Now." The anbu in front of him spoke again and signaled the other's to attack.

Before Sasuke could move he felt a pinch on the left side of his neck. A warm feeling spread through his veins and his legs wobbled beneath him. His body felt as if it had be submerged in a pool of gelatin.

"W-what..is..this?" He eyes widened, practically popping out of their sockets as he collapsed to his knees. "What the fuck did you do to me?!" His body, no matter how hard he tried, would not move. His limbs felt heavy as if they were cemented in place.

"We have sixty seconds, make this quick."

The shorter anbu kneeled in front of him and grabbed a fistful of his raven hair, pulling it harshly, causing the Uchiha to wince in pain. The anbu spat in his face before slamming the Uchiha's head into the ground. A foot collided with his ribs as an elbow crashed down on his back.

_Fuck, fuck, fuck!_

He was powerless. He couldn't move, and he still wasn't feeling the rage he should have felt. He hated feeling this way, he just wasn't himself. Why wasn't he pissed? Why wasn't his rage taking over him and forcing his body to move? Why hadn't he done anything sooner? He knew if it hadn't been for the medication he'd have taken them out as soon as they appeared, just out of simple annoyance. But he felt nothing, so he did nothing.

Warm crimson slid down his face, a sharp ache stabbing at his forehead. His chest burned and throbbed with pain. Fists crashed into the side of his face, kunai slashed through the flesh on his back and arms. These people weren't using jutsu or any sort of technique. They were just there to torture him.

Then, he stopped fighting it. He foccused on the kunai blades slicing his flesh and found the stinging pain almost exhilerating. He was finally feeling something. The pain was so great it was all he could think about, the rest of his thoughts melted away, the sadness, the worry, everything. Another kick to the ribs and he scrambled backwards, leaning against the wall, panting.

"Shit, our sixty seconds is up." The apparent leader of the group nodded towards another anbu who quickly snatched Sasuke up by the front of his shirt and threw him back against the wall.

"He...he's just standing here. He isn't fighting back. I don't think I'll even need gentle fist, he's given up already." He released the raven's shirt and watched his body slide to the ground. He sat there limp and defeated.

"Must be the pills she's got him on. She said he'd turn into a zombie but I had thought her to be exaggerating." The leader of the anbu shrugged and bent down in front of the raven. "Well, Uchiha, I have to say I'm a little disappointed. I was hoping for a fight. Although, seeing you look so dead inside is equally as satisfying really." He slammed his foot into the raven's stomach, a grunt escaping his mouth as he fell forward. "Have fun crawling home, scum-bag." Grabbing Sasuke by the hair, he bashed his head into the brick wall behind him and tossed his body aside.

With a signal from the leader, the four anbu flickered out of sight.

~0~o~0~

Sasuke stood in front of his bathroom mirror, staring at his bloody reflection. His hand came up to touch his cheek, tracing the freshly aquired bruise. His dropped his hand and balled it into a fist.

"Never again. This is never fucking happening again." He scowled as he flung the medicine cabinet open and pulled out the transparent orange bottle. "What he doesn't know can't hurt him." He tossed the bottle into the waste basket and turned quickly on his heel, storming into his bedroom.

With trembling hands, he retrieved his weapons pouch that was lying in the pile of his recently worn clothing. He pulled a kunai out and sat on the edge of his bed. The blade glinted in the artificial light of his room before catching the reflection of his beaten face. Closing his eyes, he pressed the blade against the pale flesh of his arm. As he inhaled, he slid the blade across, slowly, and crimson ran down his wrist, dripping onto his lap. He exhaled, sweet release.

He finally felt something.

**A/N: Oh poor Sasuke. Shame on me. So much shaaaame! But like I said before, I don't imagine Sasuke's return to Konoha to be sunshine and rainbows. I think that boy would suffer. I mean, come on. The guy is traumatized and shit. Also, I mentioned this in a reply to a review before but I don't think I've ever said it here, everything I write for sasuke (the medication, side effects, certain behavior etc) is all written from experience or the experience of someone close to me who has educated me on the subject. I don't mean to offend anyone or romanticise anything. I'm just portraying Sasuke's return as I imagine it would go considering everything he's been through and how the citizens of Konoha will most likely view him. **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** **I'm baaaack! Haha, another long wait for an update...whoops :sweatdrop: Well, here's the thing...so you know writers block? Yeah, I had that big time. No matter what I did, I just couldn't get the words out. But I've been working on, like, three other fics...I keep getting all these ideas that I get all excited about and then end up getting writers block half-way through. Tch. Such annoyance. Stupid brain. Anyway, I hope you guys like the chapter, even if it is super short. :hugs: **

**DISCLAIMER: Every one of these precious cinnamon rolls (aside from that little bitch therapist) and the entire Narutoverse itself belong to Kishi-sensei. I am a slave to his marvelous creations. **

~0~o~0~

Naruto stood, fidgeting, outside of Gaara's office door. He relayed the conversation he wanted to have with the redhead over and over again in his mind. He had been putting it off since his arrival, but it had been three days and he really needed to head back to Konoha. It was now or never.

With a heavy sigh, and a nervous churning in his stomach, he tapped lightly on the large wooden door. Upon hearing his acceptance into the room, he slowly creaked the door open and shuffled inside.

"Naruto." The redhead smiled slightly and stood from his desk. "Heading back to Konoha?"

The blond raised an arm and rubbed the back of his head, smiling nervously. "Yeah...but first, I wanted to talk to you about something. Well, er, I wanted your opinion about...just, please don't freak out or judge me or anything." He dropped his arm and stared desperately at the Kazekage.

"Of course. Ask me anything." Walking around his desk, he leaned against the front of it, arms crossed.

Naruto exhaled deeply and averted his eyes. _Well here it goes..._"Here's the thing...I...well, I started dating someone recently and I was hoping for some advice. I'm not sure how to tell my friends because they may hate me for it and, honestly, I've been scared shitless of telling you too but, I don't know, I feel like I can trust you...I hoped that maybe you'd be understanding. Ugh, I don't know! This is so weird, I haven't told anyone yet and talking about it to someone makes it feel so real and now I'm freaking out!" He ran a hand through his hair and breathed another sigh in an attempt to calm himself down.

"Naruto, I'm not sure I fully understand what you're asking me. What can possibly be so bad about being in a relationship that your friends would hate you for it?" If he had any eyebrows, one definitely would have been raised.

"It's not the fact that I'm with someone it's _who_ I'm with." Naruto bit his bottom lip and lowered his head. "I'm gay." His heart beat quickened and his cheeks flushed. It was the first time he had said that out loud. In fact, it was the first time it really clicked and he could label what he was. It was a strange feeling and kind of overwhelming.

The Kazekage moved from his desk and placed a hand on the blond's shoulder. "Listen, if Sasuke makes you happy then that is what's most important. Love is beautiful no matter where it is found and should be cherished. Falling in love and having that love returned to you is the greatest gift a person could ever recieve. The fact that you've found that with another man should make no difference, love is still love and it's precious."

Tears formed at the corners of Naruto's eyes as he fought back the urge to sob. He had been so afraid to tell anyone and the first person he told was completely accepting. Had he not been so dedicated to the Uchiha, he could've kissed Gaara right then and there! He and Sasuke had just aquired their first blessing.

_Wait a minute!..._

"Sasuke?!" Naruto blurted out. Not exactly the response he should have given to such a heart felt and reassuring speech but he really couldn't help it.

"Oh, My apologies. It isn't the Uchiha, then? I suppose I shouldn't have assumed, I just always thought-"

"No, no, you were right! It's Sasuke, I was just-how did you know?!" He knew the shocked look on his face must have been priceless, but, dammit how the hell did he figure it out? Had they really been that obvious? No way.

"It was pretty obvious really." Gaara said simply, prompting the blond to face-palm. "I recognized the bond between the two of you early on. And when Sasuke left, you never gave up on him no matter what terrible thing he did, you were always defending him and fighting for him, determined to save him. That's true dedication. And through all the darkness, you were Sasuke's only light. You were able to get through to him in the end and I honestly believe no one else could have. It had to be you. If that isn't love then I suppose I still haven't grasped the meaning of it. Although, I doubt I'm wrong."

"Hehe, well, I guess I never realized it back then but those were acts of love weren't they? Behind that hard exterior, Sasuke really does have a soft spot for me and he doesn't really show that part of himself to many people. I always knew our bond wasn't one sided...I just had no idea our feelings would lead to this." He scratched the back of his head and furrowed his eyebrows. "So...what should I do? Should we keep it a secret? Do you think everyone else will be as accepting? I'm just so afraid they won't understand the way you do."

"I believe you should be proud of what you have. Anyone who can't accept your happiness isn't a true friend. If a person cares about another person, they should want that person to be happy. You shouldn't have to keep this a secret as if you are ashamed. They may be shocked at first, but, I think that in the end they will be glad that you found love. Don't hide who you are, Naruto."

"Gaara..." Naruto smiled and glomped the redhead, startling him and forcing him to stumble backwards. "Thank you. Thank you for making me feel like I'm not a freak. Thank you for being accepting. Thank you!" Tears streamed down his face as he tightened his grip on the Kazekage.

~0~o~0~

Great. Another pair of pants ruined. Sasuke scowled at the crimson stained pants as he tossed them into the trash. _I really need to remember to do this pantless. _He rinsed his kunai in the bathroom sink as he recalled the events of three nights ago.

_"She said he'd be a zombie."_

_"I don't think I'll even need gentle fist."_

Their voices had been swirling around in his mind unrelentlessly since that day. He had already deemed his phychologist untrustworthy, but now he felt as if there were more to his suspicions. Perhaps, it wasn't that she simply resented him for his past crimes. Could she be plotting something bigger than just messing with his medication? Well, either way, he wasn't going to swallow another damned pill as long as he lived.

And, gentle fist? That anbu was a Hyuuga. Could Hinata have something to do with that? Damn it, was there a single fucking person in this village he could trust? Then again, had he really deserved that trust? And how is all of this just slipping by Kakashi?

He sunk to the floor, leaning his back against the wall. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he felt his chest ache. He needed the blond dobe back. If someone didn't start talking some sense into him , he thought he might just up and leave again. Being back in Konoha didn't feel worth it, not with everyone so against him being there. What was the point?

But, he needed to stay. He made a promise to Naruto he'd never leave him again and he intended to keep that promise. No, he wasn't going to run away from his problems. That just wasn't his style. He was going to do something about it.

_First things, first. Kakashi needs to know. _

~0~o~0~

Papers. Papers everywhere.

Kakashi sat, slumped at his desk. He rubbed his masked face in frustration. The mountain of papers in front of him should have been condensed considerably by now had he not procrastinated with a certain perverted novel. With a hesitant hand, he reached for the top of one of the piles. As he placed the paper in front of him, there was an urgent sounding knock at the door.

_My savior!_

"Yes, yes, come in!" He leaned back in his seat and breathed a sigh of relief. Boy, did he hate paperwork.

The door flung open and a pissed looking Sasuke stormed into the room. The hokage raised an eyebrow as the Uchiha's fists slammed down on his desk.

"Something wrong?" his bored tone must have irked the raven, considering the menacing look he gave him.

"Is something wrong? _Is something wrong?_!" His dark eyes narrowed at the calm hokage. "Oh, do you mean to tell me you don't know? Why don't you open your damn eyes and pay attention to what those anbu bastards are up to!"

This caught Kakashi's attention. "The anbu? Sasuke, what are you talking about? Calm down and explain what's going on."

"I was attacked by a group of anbu. I think they're conspiring against me." This got the Lazy man out of his seat. Kakashi walked around his desk and placed his hands on Sasuke's shoulders, his eyes narrowed.

"Start from the beginning. Do not leave out a single detail. I will get to the bottom of this."

~0~o~0~

Sai stood in the middle of the Hokage's office, staring curiously at the silvered haired man pacing back and forth.

"You want me to act as a double agent?" Sai's dark eyebrow raised. "How do you know Sasuke isn't lying? I haven't noticed anything suspiscious within the anbu recently and with the foundation and Danzo gone-"

"That's just it, Sai" Kakashi stopped pacing and turned towards him. "Former Root members were conditioned by Danzo to believe in a certain shinobi way. Now, mostly because of Sasuke, that way is dead. However, those dedicated to Danzo and his way of doing things are not willing to let it die and they are clearly holding Sasuke responsible. They desire revenge. All things considered, Sasuke did get away with a slap on the wrist after the crimes he committed. And, they're pissed."

"I see." He sighed. "Well, if you believe this to be the case, I will do my best to find out what I can. I'll report back to you as soon as I learn anything."

"Thank you, Sai." The Hokage stopped his pacing and took a seat at his desk, frowning with discontent at the stacks of papers. "Well, I have a lot of work to do. You're dismissed."

The pale boy bowed and exited the office, leaving Kakashi to his work. He scribbled his signature across papers, only half paying attention to what he was reading. His thoughts were loud and unrelenting, screaming at him, accusing him of being an unfit Hokage. He sighed and rubbed his temples. Was it really so easy for things like this to slip right past him? How often would this happen?

He felt as though he had failed Sasuke as his sensei once. He wouldn't allow himself to fail him as his Hokage too.

~0~o~0~

"Sasuke, please, stop ignoring me!" Sakura flicked the raven's arm and scowled. "I told you, I was only trying to help! Can't you just let it go?"

Sasuke crossed his arms and turned his head in the other direction. He hadn't the patience to deal with any drama today. And he certainly wasn't in a forgiving mood. He remained silent as the kunoichi continued, desperately, with her attempt at patching up their friendship.

"I promise if I had known you felt so strongly about Hinata, I never would have suggested she talk things out with you. It's just...she's my friend too and she was so upset, I just thought if she could hear your side of things and talk it out, it could help both of you."

"Tch." The raven rolled his eyes.

"I cannot believe you're actually still mad about this! It's not like I was intentionally trying to piss you off! I was only trying to help! Jeez, I'll just stay out of it for now on, okay?" The vein in her forhead twitched as Sasuke glared at her. "Well, say something!"

"I'm not in the mood for this Sakura. Just make sure that you do stay out of my business from now on. " He stood from his seat at the picnic bench and replaced the lid to his bento. "Thanks for the food."

"Where are you going?" Sakura asked sadly.

"I've got an appointment." He returned the empty bento to the distraught kunoichi and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "See you later."

"Wait!" Sakura grabbed Sasuke's arm and he turned his head slowly, his death glare burning into her face.

"_What?"_

"I wanted to ask you...what's with the wrist bands? I thought you only wore those for Chidori. You haven't worn them in a while, I just thought it was weird that you started wearing them again."

Sasuke sighed as he snatched his arm away. "For training purposes. That's all. I don't see why you're so concerned about it anyway. Why does it matter if I'm wearing wrist bands? You woman and your fashion."

"You don't have to be such a jerk about it. I just don't see why you'd need to be training with Chidori if-"

"I don't want to get rusty. What am I supposed to do? Just sit around until those geezers finally say I can start going on missions again? Stay out of my business Sakura." He turned away and headed off into the village.

"Jeez." Even when he was being a jerk, she couldn't help but feel sad for him. No matter how he treated her, she couldn't stop caring about him. That's just how she was, a strong kunoichi like herself had very few weaknesses but Sasuke Uchiha was definitely one of them.

~0~o~0~

Sasuke sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets as he walked away from the mental health clinic. He was feeling emotionally drained due to having had restrained his anger towards his therapist. He was determined to mask the fact that he had stopped taking his medication, and he definitely didn't want her to find out that he was on to her. What he really wanted to do was barge in there and stick a chidori stream through her fucking chest and unleash amaterasu on her Goddamned office.

But he opted to have faith in Kakashi instead.

"Yo, Sasuke!" The raven turned at the sound of the all too familiar voice and wondered what the hell he could possibly want.

"Mutt." He bit out and glared.

"Chill, Uchiha. I just wanted to talk." Kiba smiled sheepishly and put an arm around the raven's shoulders.

Sasuke's eye twitched as he jerked the brunett's arm away from himself. "Last I checked, you were pissed at me for something I didn't do. What's with the sudden change in attitude?"

Scratching the back of his head, Kiba locked his gaze on some passersby. "Well, I kind of...listen we should probably go somewhere to talk."

Suspicious. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and nodded his head in confirmation. He probably should have told him to scram, but he found himself following Kiba away from the crowded streets instead. He was lead to a grassy training ground near a patch of woods and watched as Kiba hopped onto the top of a picnic table, sitting cross-legged. He patted the spot beside him, inviting the Uchiha to have a seat.

Sasuke crossed his arms and kept his feet firmly planted in front of the bench. "Make this quick, Inuzuka."

Kiba frowned and sighed, scratching the back of his head. "I wanted to apologize for freaking out on you the other day."

"Tch." Sasuke rolled his eyes at this. "Whatever, apology accepted I guess. Are we done here?"

"Hey, man, don't be like that! Listen, I've been talking to Hinata about what happened. You really upset her but from what she told me...well, I'm not sure if I'm supposed to repeat this...but, well, fuck this is awkward!" He rubbed his face in frustration.

"Just spit it out already." Sasuke was losing his patience and it was evident in his facial expression. Kiba noticed and quickly began speaking again.

"She thinks you like him. Like, you know_, really _like him." He cringed at his own words, unconsciously leaning back to put more space between them.

"Jesus, why don't we just put it on a fucking billboard." Sasuke clenched his fists, glaring daggers at the brunett.

Kiba's eyes widened. He pointed a finger at the Uchiha, earning him a scowl. "Holy shit! So you do?! You have a thing for Naruto?!"

Sasuke immediately pressed his palm to Kiba's mouth, muffling his words. "Shut up, moron!"

Kiba pryed the hand away, gaping at the raven. He spoke more softly, "Does Naruto know? I mean, this is totally weird, uh, no offense! It's just...a dude liking another dude? I mean, that Orochimaru guy seemed a little weird like that...not that it's weird! Well it is but-"

"Kiba." Sasuke's voice was cold and threatening. "Not a single soul is to hear about this. And to answer your question, yes, Naruto knows. And trust me, Kiba, he is one hundred percent okay with it." He smirked at the gaping brunett.

"So...he really did end things with Hinata because of you? But not because you made him, but because he likes you...in a...boyfriend kind of way?"

"Yes. The decision was all his. And it's my understanding that he tried to let Hinata down easy. You know Naruto, he wouldn't want to hurt her. And although we don't get along very well, you're important to Naruto. So, I'd appreciate if you didn't let this affect your friendship with him."

Kiba was silent for a moment before shifting slightly and locking his eyes with Sasuke's. "You really care about him don't you? I guess even the most heartless of bastards has to have at least _one_ person." He smirked at the raven, recieving one in return. "You know, I was pretty mad before. I thought you just didn't like Hinata and didn't want to deal with her being around if Naruto dated her. I thought you were just being a selfish prick. But, I guess I understand now. I'm not gonna lie, Uchiha, this is a lot to take in and I'm pretty shocked that Naruto's...well, you know."

"Like I said, no one is to hear about this."

"My lips are sealed, dude." He smiled at the raven and stood from his seat. "Well, see ya around."

"Wait." Sasuke said, pressing his hand against Kiba's chest to keep him from leaving. "I mean it. If you tell a single soul, I'll make you regret it. There's a reason we haven't told anyone. I don't want this getting around. I only confirmed it with you because you and Naruto are friends and I don't think you'd betray his wishes of keeping this secret. Do I have your word?"

Kiba swallowed nervously. "Yeah, you got my word, dude."

"Good."

Sasuke watched as the brunett made his way back to the crowded streets of the village. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He wasn't quite sure what he was feeling. He was relieved that, so far, the people who had found out were completely fine with it. Well, aside from Hinata for obvious reasons. But, on the other hand, he was a little frustrated with himself for apparently having been so obvious about it. Had he really been that easy to read when it came to the blond?

He was also nervous. Because, the more people who knew the truth, the more people would find out. In retrospect, he wondered if it was such a good idea to allow Kiba to know the truth. He knew Kiba was as loyal as a dog when it came to his friends, but he also wasn't the brightest crayon in the box.

With a sigh, he turned from the picnic table and headed in the direction of his home. He idly kicked a pebble as he walked, imagining his therapist's face. He smirked as it fell down a hole. "Good." He thought. "Stay there, you stupid bitch."

~0~o~0~

-Three Days Later-

Naruto stared up at the gates of Konoha, it's Leaf Village symbol almost glowing beneath the early morning Sun. He took in a deep breath of fresh air, filling his lungs, and exhaling with a smile.

"Home sweet home."

**A/N: crossing my fingers that the wait for the next chapter is not as long as the last one..:cringes: I'm the worst, you guys**.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I'M BACK BITCHESSS! Yeah, I know. It took me forever...I hate to say this, but you can probably just expect me to take forever every time because, let's face it, I've got ADHD so bad. Seriously, I keep getting distracted. And then there's that pesky writers block that creeps up on me sometimes. I'm so terrible. Haha, but don't worry, I will definitely finish this fic! No fic get's left behind! And, please don't be too shy to yell at me for taking too long. I like when you guys demand that I hurry, it kicks my ass into gear and I start writing as if my life depends on it. **

**DISCLAIMER: Trust me, these characters are not mine. They belong to Masashi Kishimoto. You'd know if I owned them, because the ending would have gone COMPLETELY different. **

**WARNING: Cussing and junk. Also, self harm. **

A steady hand guided a freshly sharpened kunai-knife into pale flesh. The blade sliding almost gracefully against the skin, bright crimson gently flowing from the cut. Sasuke exhaled and closed his eyes. His most recent nightmare invading his thoughts, the memory taunting him, angering him. He brought the blade down against his arm again, he held it there for a moment, still focussing on the sting of the fresh, bleeding cut.

His nightmares were getting worse by the day. The most recent one focussed on his deceased parents, although in this particular nightmare they weren't dead. They were barely clinging to their lives as they begged for Sasuke's help. Sasuke had merely stood there, unable to move or speak, and just barely able to breathe. Helpless. Weak. The worst part of it, to Sasuke, was when his brother appeared. Itachi had been slicing his parents up right before his eyes, similar to the genjutsu he had put Sasuke under all those years ago.

Except this time, Itachi was crying and screaming about not being able to control his actions. He had pleaded with Sasuke to stop him from doing it. He begged and begged until their parents took their last breath. Itachi fell to his knees, eyes locked on Sasuke's, just whispering "Why didn't you help us?" over and over until Sasuke had awoken, drenched in sweat and tears.

He winced at the memory and desperately wished he could be one of those people who had forgotten their dreams the moment they woke up. He was not that fortunate. The images still burned into his brain. His heart ached as he remembered Itachi's face, tears streaming down his pale cheeks, his eyes desperate and pleading. He missed his family so much it hurt. And no amount of time had softened the blow of losing them. But, most of all, he missed his brother. Itachi was his world and if things had been different, if he had known about the counsil's orders sooner...Itachi might still be here. So what if he had been sick? Maybe Tsunade or even Sakura could have helped him...

He shook the thoughts out of his head and blinked away the tears that began to form. He inhaled a shaky breath and pressed the kunai into his flesh. He jumped and the blade was forced deeper than he intended.

_Who the hell would come knocking on my door at six in the goddamn morning?!_

His eyes widened in slight panic as he watched the blood gush from his wound. Much more than there should have been.

_Shit. Shit. Shit!_

He quickly scrambled from the edge of his bed to the bathroom where he ran his arm beneath a stream of cold water. He winced at the stinging pain and fumbled around his medicine cabinet for a roll of gauze and ointment. His hands shook as the knocking became louder and more persistent.

"I'll be right there! Just give me one _fucking_ second!" He shouted as he frantically cleaned and wrapped his wound.

~O~o~O~

Naruto stood just outside of Sasuke's door beaming, despite the slight irritation of having to wait on him for so long. But, nothing could kill his mood because he was finally going to be reunited with his favorite cocky, sarcastic, raven-haired ninja. His boyfriend. And, he couldn't wait to see the look on his face. He was betting on catching the Uchiha off gaurd, forcing the man to outwardly show his emotions.

When the door finally opened, a pissed off looking Sasuke emerged. He was scowling at first, but that expression had quickly changed when he took in the sight of the brightly grinning blond staring back at him. Before Sasuke could say anything, Naruto glomped him and the two of them landed hard on the ground.

"I missed you, teme!" Naruto laughed as he squeezed the raven and nuzzled his face in the crook of his neck.

"Clearly. Now get off." Sasuke spoke calmly despite the happiness that swelled inside of him. He fought back a small smile as he lightly pushed the other off of himself. He brushed the dirt off of his clothes as he stood, offering the blond a hand and pulling him up. "Come inside, dobe."

The two of them entered the house and Sasuke motioned towards the bar where Naruto took a seat and Sasuke put on a kettle. As he searched his cabinet for tea, Naruto drummed his fingers against the counter top.

"You're sure in a good mood." Sasuke stated, pulling two porcelin cups from a rack above the sink. "I take it your trip went well?" He lost the battle against his lips as the smile he'd been supressing finally took over. Stoic or not, could anyone really resist that beaming ball of sunshine sitting in front of him? He decided that, no, that was impossible.

"It was awesome! But I'm actually just really happy to be back home."

"Hn. I'll admit, things were a little dull without your loud mouth around here." Sasuke smirked as Naruto scrunched his face in offense.

"You're just too cool to come out and say that you totally missed the crap outta me." Naruto stated matter-of-factly and laughed. "So, listen, those kids were so awesome! They're going to be great shinobi one day with all that determination and passion they have. And they were totally into my speech! Good thing they were just kids and they couldn't tell that I just kind of winged it, haha"

"Well, you always have had some weird way of inspiring people. Even if you are an idiot, your words seem to have an effect on people, other than pure annoyance." Sasuke ignored the pointed glare Naruto shot him, and poured the hot water into the cups and dipped a tea bag into each of them. "Sugar, I assume?" He cocked an eyebrow at the blond who smiled and nodded.

Sasuke finished preparing the drinks and slid a steaming cup to the excited blond across the table. Naruto took a sip and sighed in contentment. "Thanks, Sasuke. You always add the perfect amount of sugar. I always get carried away and add way too much." He laughed and scratched the back of his head.

Sasuke smirked and sipped his own tea. "So what else did you do while you were there?" He leaned casually against the counter, giving Naruto his full attention. He hadn't realized how much he truly missed the blond's company. It felt good to have him back.

"Well, I hung out with Kankuro for a while and, get this, I actually convinced him to let me try out one of his puppets! I mean, I couldn't really get the chakra strings down so I couldn't actually use it right but it was still really cool! He showed me all the hidden compartments, weapons, and poison...man, those things are complicated! He said it usually takes him months sometimes even over a year to perfect them."

"Hn. Sounds interesting."

"And then I was able to pry Gaara away from the office long enough to spar with him. The sand is annoying but it was still fun. He doesn't know a lot of tai-jutsu because he's never really had to rely on it, so I taught him some of what I know. And in return, he bought me ramen. It wasn't as good as Ichiraku's but ramen is ramen so it was good enough for me."

"Of course."

"And then I spent some time with Temari and she let me try out her fan...dude, don't ever fucking mess with her! That chick is seriously badass, that fan weighs a ton and she weilds it like it's nothing! I felt like a wimp. And then before I left she caught me on my way out and handed me an envelope to give to Shikamaru. I'm not one for gossip or whatever but I think they have something going on between them! She was blushing like a school girl and the envelope smells like her perfume."

"Hard to imagine Shikamaru in a romantic relationship. But good for him, I suppose."

Naruto cocked an eyebrow at the raven. "You're one to talk." He laughed. "You're worse than he is when it comes to human interaction!"

"Oh, don't be like that, usuratonkachi." Sasuke leaned over the counter and placed a kiss on the blond's lips. "I have a soft side." He smirked and went back to leaning against the counter, sipping his tea.

"You seem like you're in a good mood today." Naruto beemed. "I love it when you're like this, I don't get to see it very often."

"Hn."

"Oh!" Naruto practically jumped out of his seat, almost making Sasuke flinch. Almost. "How are you doing with your medication? You seem to be doing a lot better! I'm so proud of you by the way...I was kind of worried about you while I was gone. So how were things here while I was in Suna?"

Sasuke felt his heart drop. A feeling of guilt washed over him. "I've been better. I suppose I've adjusted to the medication."

"You look much better. I guess Sakura kept her promise. The little color you have has come back, you look less pale now. You've been eating well?"

"Yeah. Sakura bugged me every day just as you asked her to. I've been eating properly, nothing to worry about." He averted his eyes from the blond, unable to make eye contact while lying. He felt bad decieving him, but he'd rather not make him worry.

"That's great! I'm really glad you're doing better." A huge grin took over his face. Sasuke managed a small smile in return.

The blond took his mug and put it to his lips, downing the rest of the drink while it was still the perfect temperature. Noticing that the cup had been emptied, Sasuke reached across the bar for it.

"Oh shit!" Naruto lunged forward, grabbing Sasuke arm in his hands. "You're bleeding!"

The raven cocked an eyebrow in confusion before realization hit him. He glanced down at his arm to find blood seeping through his bandages. He grit his teeth and pulled his arm away.

"It's nothing. A training accident." He turned away from the worried blond and placed the dirtied mug in the sink. "Are you hungry?"

"How did you cut your wrist while training?" Naruto ignored his question, much to the raven's surprise. Since when could Naruto put his mind over his stomach? "That just seems like a weird spot to cut. And you're the most advanced Katana user I know, besides Octopops! Are you gettin' rusty or somethin'?"

"Tch." Sasuke leaned against the counter and crossed his arms. "I was interupted and it startled me. That's all. Now drop it. Are you hungry?"

"Sasuke Uchiha, startled? Since when?" He laughed and cocked an eyebrow.

"Since I've been tired and a little off gaurd. Do you want some fucking breakfast or not, dobe?"

"Well, duh, I want breakfast. What're you makin' me?" A wide, goofy grin spread across his face and Sasuke relaxed, pleased at having successfully changed the subject.

"Well, what do you want?" Sasuke moved towards his fridge, the blonde following closely behind.

Naruto hovered over the raven's shoulder, scanning the contents until he picked out a few items. They spent the rest of the morning cooking together and arguing over petty things as usual. As much as Sasuke wanted to feel like everything had gone back to normal, there was a stabbing at his gut, leaving a pang of guilt. For a moment, he wondered if he should just come clean about everything that had happend.

But why make Naruto worry? Everything would be fine. The problem would resolve itself, and then everything really would go back to normal. That's what he would keep telling himself.

~0~o~0~

Voices could be heard echoing down the corrider of the Anbu base, a group of four men. Careful to catch every word and commit it to memory, Sai leaned against a wall with his chakra hidden.

"No, we're sticking to the plan." A deep voice stated. Sai judged him to be older than the rest.

"After the crimes he's comitted, I don't think her idea of justice is harsh enough! We need to take this into our own hands!" A younger man pleaded, his voice higher pitched than the rest.

"You're naive. Her plan is a good one. This way, he's practically doing it to himself. Nothing will be traced back to us. He won't tell the Hokage about our attacks, he knows they won't believe him." The older man said.

"Yes..." another voice, calmer and softer than the rest began speaking. "but if we kill him-"

"If we kill him, there will be an investigation. How do we know we can trust that woman to keep her mouth shut? She'll be pissed that we strayed from her plan and if she ends up being a suspect, she'll know it was us and she probably won't hesitate to sell us out." The older man was clearly losing his patience.

The fourth man spoke up now, loud and sounding rather aggravated. "He's right. We can't kill him, are you both idiots? Besides, we may be skilled, but let's not forget who took on Kaguya and helped stop the war. He may be trash, but he's not weak by any means! Should he choose to fight back, it won't go unnoticed. That fight could end up being catastrophic. He has the Rinnegan, we wouldn't stand a chance!"

The longer Sai listened to the conversation, the clearer it became that there was definitely some sort of conspiracy going on. Something big. He pondered what he heard for a moment and decided to make his move. He pushed himself away from the wall and quietly made his way down the hall. Stopping at the entrance to the lounge where the four men were gathered, he smiled and greeted them.

The eldest member perked up immediately and narrowed his eyes in suspicion. The other three tensing up at Sai's presence. An uncomfortable silence filled the air as all eyes locked on the intruder.

"You know," Sai said smoothly. "you would do well not to discuss such things so openly where anyone could overhear." He continued to smile at the alarmed faces in front of him.

"And, you'd do well not to repeat anything you just heard!" The louder of the four said as he pulled a kunai from his weapons pouch.

"Relax." Sai stepped into the room, his arms raised to assure them he was not a threat. "I think I know what's going on here. You're plotting against Sasuke Uchiha, am I correct?"

"What's it to you?" The eldest spat.

"Because, if you are, I want in." Sai said, his tone darkening.

"Why should we believe you?" The youngest questioned, crossing his arms.

"Because, if there's one person I really can't stand, it's Sasuke Uchiha. Whatever you're up to, I want to be a part of it."

The three younger Anbu looked to the eldest for a reaction. With a smirk, he nodded his head. "Alright, you're in."

~0~o~0~

Panting, Naruto picked himself up off of the ground. He smiled as he wiped the blood from his busted lip. He slowly made his way over to a nearby tree where he had thrown his jacket before-hand and pushed his tired arms through the sleeves. Sasuke joined him seconds later, a smirk on his face.

"You bastard." Naruto laughed, punching the raven's shoulder. "You tricked me! You said you were too tired to spar with me!"

"Well," Said Sasuke, adjusting his wristbands as they were becoming uncomfortable, "I was attempting to spare you the humiliation of getting your ass kicked. But since you insisted, I had no choice." He rolled his eyes as the blond's eyebrows drew downward in irritation.

"Don't be so arrogant, you bastard! It was a pretty even fight, ya know!" He crossed his arms and pouted his lip as he followed the raven back towards the streets.

"Sure it was, loser."

"Hmph!" Naruto turned his head away and his footsteps became heavier. Some things would never change.

It wasn't long after they'd reached the streets leading into town that Naruto heard his named being called. He turned to find Shikamaru lazily walking towards him, hands in his pockets.

"Hey, Shikamaru," Naruto said, grinning wide. "What's up?"

"The sixth wants to see you. You didn't report back to him this morning. I think he's irritated." He brought a hand up to his mouth as he yawned. The sun was setting, marking the end of another day. He must've been pretty done with all of his troublesome responsiblities by now, Naruto thought.

"I didn't have a mission report or anything, though!" Naruto frowned, crossing his arms. "It's not like I-"

"Oi, don't shoot the messenger, damn it!" Shikamaru shook his head and began walking away mumbling something about a 'total drag'.

"Well," Naruto said, turning to Sasuke, "I guess I gotta go see Kakashi-sensei. I'll probably just head back to my apartment afterwards. See you tomorrow morning?"

"Yeah. See you tomorrow." Sasuke smirked and poked Naruto in the chest. "Yamato got us pretty caught up on the contruction while you were gone. Not much to do but paint."

"Alright!" Naruto threw a fist in the air, the raven rolled his eyes. "I love paint!"

"Yeah, I think everyone in the village remembers your love of paint, usuratonkachi." He smirked at the blond's shrug and turned away. "See ya."

Naruto watched his back as he walked away, smiling to himself. In that moment, he felt he could never find a more perfect person.

~0~o~0~

Naruto's body stiffened as he took in what his former sensei had told him. He took a breath and clenched his fists, his eyes darkening. "What did you just say?" He bit out, restraining his anger.

"He didn't tell you, did he?"

"No. He didn't." He could feel his heart beat quickening, his fists clenching tighter. "When did this happen?"

"A few days ago. I've already got someone on the case, so don't worry. We'll fix this." Kakashi ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "I suppose Sasuke didn't want you to worry. But, I felt you should know. Besides, I don't think it would be safe for Sasuke to wander by himself anymore, and if you're with him, it's less likely to happen again. But, knowing you, I couldn't just tell you to look out for him without you demanding to know the reasoning."

"I can't believe he wouldn't tell me about this! He told me everything was fine! He lied to me!"

"He lied because he knew I was taking care of the problem, and he probably felt there was no reason to burden you with the stress." He stepped forward and placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Don't be too hard on him, Naruto. He was only trying to keep you from worrying."

"I don't care what his reason was! He shouldn't be lyin' to me when-"

"Naruto. Calm down. You're over-reacting."

"No, I'm not! This is serious!" Naruto shoved the gray haired man away and turned towards the door.

"Where are you going?"

"To give him a peice of my fucking mind!" The door slammed behind him seconds later.

Kakashi rubbed his face and leaned against the front of his desk. "Those two, I swear." He shook his head and picked up one of the countless important documents scattered across his desk.

~0~o~0~

Sasuke had just stepped out of the shower and slid on a pair of black sweatpants when he heard an urgent knock on the door. An eyebrow raised as he frowned, walking towards the door. He could have sworn Naruto said he was heading back to his apartment after seeing Kakashi.

As soon as he creaked the door open, a fist was thrown into his face. He stumbled backwards, catching his footing, and stared back at the angry blue eyes glaring at him, a hand pressed against his throbbing cheek.

"What the hell was that for?!" He shouted, confused.

"That was for lyin' to me, you fuckin' bastard!" Naruto stormed through the doorway and slammed it behind himself. "You didn't tell me you were attacked by fuckin' anbu!"

"He told you?!" Sasuke scowled, silently cursing his former sensei. "Listen, I just-"

"Save it! I don't care what your reason was! Don't you ever fuckin' lie to me again!" Naruto thrusted his hands at Sasuke's bare chest, shoving him away. "You know I hated bein' lied to!"

"Calm down, dobe. It wasn't anything serious. Just some pissed off former Root members. It hasn't happened since then."

"Kakashi says he thinks somethin' bigger might be goin' on, that there might be a whole group who don't want you here! What if they keep trying to push you away! What if-"

"Naruto! I'm not going anywhere, so stop worrying. They won't drive me away, so if that's their plan is, it's not going to work."

"What if you get killed?"

"I can handle myself, Naruto. Don't forget who has the other half of the Sage of the Six Path's powers. Even before I obtained the Rinnegan, I could take them. There's nothing to worry about."

"Whatever, either way, just don't lie to me anymore. Got it? Anything happens, I want to know about it." Naruto crossed his arms, his eyebrows downcast in anger.

"Fine. I'll be honest from now on." Sasuke sighed, subconsciously rubbing at his wrist as it began to itch.

The action attracted Naruto's attention, following the motion with his eyes. "W-what the fuck?" Naruto frowned, reaching for Sasuke's arm.

The raven immediately pulled his arm away, hiding it behind his back. He bit the inside of his lip, angry at himself for forgetting his wristbands. This was not a conversation he wanted to have.

"Let me see your arm." Naruto said calmly, his eyes darkening.

Sasuke took a step backwards, eyes on the ground. His thoughts racing, frantically searching for a way to keep the blond from discovering his secret. He took too long and Naruto's patience had expired.

"Let. Me. See." When the raven didn't move, Naruto stepped foward and voilently wrenched Sasuke's arm from behind his back and straightened it out.

His blue eyes widened in horror as he took in the sight of several cuts streched across the raven's wrist leading up to his forearm. A few of them looked fresh, dried blood crusted over the length of the cuts while others looked faded and had begun healing. He dropped Sasuke's arm and took a step back, staring at him with confusion in his eyes. The raven kept his eyes on the floor, arms limp at his sides.

"Those aren't from training accidents are they?"

Silence.

It was going to be a long night.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I don't know what happened, but a fire lit inside of me and I started writing and just couldn't stop. So, for the first time in forever (damn Frozen for making me sing that) I'm posting an udate shortly after the last. And, what's this? It's even longer than the last chapter? What is going on here?! Go me. I'm a champ. Anywho, I hope you guys dig it. I had fun writing it. (: Ohhh and also, you guys give the best reviews. You're all lovely and wonderful and junk and I appreciate the crap out of every single person who follows, favorites, and reviews. You keep me motivated. -hugs-**

**DISCLAIMER: Alas, I'm only borrowing these super cool dudes and ladies from Masashi Kishimoto. He owns them. I do not. It's unfortunate but, ya know, it is what it is. DAMN YOU KISHI FOR NOT LETTING THESE TWO SOUL MATES GET MARRIED! *cries***

**WARNING: Oh, you know, the usual. Curse words, violence, sex, all that good stuff. **

~0~o~0~

Blue eyes were locked on the row of cuts slashed across his boyfriend's arm. Tears formed as warmth spread through his cheeks. He didn't understand what was going on with the man standing awkwardly in front of him. He thought things had gotten better...he had trusted Sasuke. He left for just over a week and everything had fallen apart.

Naruto was caught between anger and sadness. He couldn't understand why Sasuke would purposely harm himself. A war was raging in his head, the urge to scream and knock some sense into the raven battling against the urge to hug him tightly and whisper that everything would be okay. It ended in a draw.

"Why would you do that to yourself?! I don't get it! Why?" Naruto yelled, tears falling from the corners of his eyes. He reached out to him and was shoved away.

"I had to find some way to cope."

"A way to cope? I thought that medication was supposed to help you. You said it was working and that the side effects were even gone, so why do this?" Sasuke finally met his eyes, his own darkening. He didn't say a word, just stared back at him. Naruto stepped back and clenched his fists, realization hitting him. "You stopped taking it when I left didn't you?"

Sasuke just held his gaze, frowning, his own fists clenched. He really didn't want to do this right now. In fact, if he could have it his way, he wouldn't have this conversation ever.

"Answer me, God damn it!" Naruto shouted, grabbing Sasuke's shoulders and shaking him. "What the hell is going on with you?"

"Yeah..." Sasuke said quietly. "I stopped taking it. It was hurting me more than it was helping and so I found a different way to cope. Something more efficient. What I've been doing to my arm...it keeps my emotions in check. It's a release. That's all."

"So you lied about that too." Naruto stated flatly. He released Sasuke from his grip and backed away. "You're not doing that to yourself ever again. I mean it. I swear if I find out you've-"

"Just stay out of it!" It was Sasuke's turn to be angry now, although, part of him felt he didn't have the right. But, another part of him assured him that it was none of Naruto's business.

"I'm not staying out of it, Sasuke. You can't seriously think this is okay! Just let me help you!" The anger began to dissipate from his voice, a pleading helplessness surfacing. His eye's wide and desperate.

"How could you possibly help me? Besides, this has nothing to do with you. This isn't hurting anyone so just leave it alone."

"It has nothin' to do with me?" Naruto laughed darkly. "Jesus Christ, Sasuke! Do you not understand that you are a part of me? What you do to yourself affects me too! I'm not fuckin' leaving this alone! When you hurt, I hurt. Those words I said to you back then, I meant them."

Sasuke's eyes widened and guilt weighed heavily in the pit of his stomach. Naruto had always been there, he had always cared. And now Sasuke was keeping secrets from him and refusing to let the blond into his personal life. After all, was that really fair? After everything Naruto had done for him?

Sasuke contemplated his options, the blond's patience clearly decreasing by the second. He ignored the pointed glare and let Naruto's words sink in. If he agreed to let Naruto help him, he'd be fussed over and probably forced into doing things he didn't want to do. It could become unbarebly annoying. But, on the other hand, if he refused Naruto's help, he wasn't sure how the blond would react to that. He might lose him but, given Naruto's past, it was more likely that he would be persistant and relentless. Either way, now that the blond knew his secret, he wouldn't be getting rid of him that easily.

Sasuke ran a hand through his hair and sighed, locking his eye's with Naruto's.

"Okay." He said. "Then how do we fix this? What else can I do?"

Naruto visibly relaxed at these words and paused for a moment before a grin spread from ear to ear. He scratched the bridge of his nose and laughed awkwardly, warmth spreading through his cheeks. The reaction somewhat confusing to the raven who cocked an eyebrow in response.

"Well, I know of one other way to relieve stress." Naruto smiled, grabbing Sasuke's hand and squeezing it lightly. "Back when I was on the road with Pervy Sage, he told me that sex was an important part of a shinobi's life. He said it relieved tension and helped with stress. He said it could fix about anything. Ya know, I always thought he was just makin' up excuses for bein' a perve, but, maybe we could test his theory."

The raven blinked, dumbfounded at the speed of which the blond had changed his mood. Seriously, one minute the guy was raging mad and the next he's horny? Sasuke was beginning to wonder what he'd gotten himself into.

"You're serious?" Sasuke asked, placing a hand on his hip.

"Yeah. I want to help you. And at least sex won't leave nasty scars and make you bleed. Well, unless you want it to." He wiggled his eyebrows at the raven who snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Do you really think having sex regularly will help keep my emotions in check?" He still couldn't believe the conversation had ended up here. How the hell did this even happen? Leave it to Naruto, he thought. In retrospect, Sasuke wondered if leaving Naruto with Jiriaya had really screwed over his future self.

"There's only one way to find out, teme." Naruto wrapped his arms around Sasuke's neck and kissed his lips, running his tongue along the crease, asking for an invitation.

Sasuke parted his lips and hungrily slid his tongue along the others'. He had missed this taste and felt that he could never get enough of it. As the kiss progressively became more passionate, he slid his hands down Naruto's hips to his ass and pulled him up, the blond wrapping his legs around him. In one swift motion, the raven had turned the blond around and slammed his back against the wall, biting and sucking at his tanned neck.

"Nggh" Naruto moaned as Sasuke sucked at his pulse, a pale hand finding it's way to the waistband of Naruto's pants. His slender fingers dipping in and wrapping themselves around Naruto's manhood. He tightened his grip and began pumping Naruto's cock, slowly at first, gradually increasing the speed.

The sounds that escaped the blond's mouth and the way his body trembled against the raven's made Sasuke realize that replacing his kunai with Naruto's toned body as a stress reliever was actually a brilliant idea. He cursed himself for allowing the blond to find a better solution to his problem than he had. Maybe leaving Naruto with Jiriaya was actually very beneficial to future Sasuke.

Naruto bit his bottom lip and let his head fall back against the wall. Sasuke released the blond's legs and got onto his knees, unzipping Naruto's pants and sliding them down to his ankles. Placing his hand on the base of Naruto's fully erect dick, he licked the spot just beneath the head. Naruto shivered and groaned, biting harder into his lip. Sasuke smirked against the head, teasing Naruto really never got old.

"Fuck, Sasuke!" Naruto panted. "This is torture!"

"No. But it's about to be." He moved his hand up and down at the base and placed his lips around the head, sucking gently while occasionally circling his tongue around it.

"Unnngh." He threaded his fingers through Sasuke's hair. "Deeper." He moaned, tightening his grip around the raven-colored locks.

Sasuke obeyed, plunging deeper, removing his fist to allow the head of the cock to hit the back of his throat. He supressed a gag and moved his lips back up to the head and back down again. Repeating the motion, increasing his speed gradually, sucking harder each time he reached the tip. He paused and ran his tongue from base to tip, opening his eyes to watch Naruto's face.

"Fuck, Sasuke...so...good."

That was it, he couldn't wait any longer.

"Wait here." He said, leaving a half-naked Naruto leaning against his living room wall as he rushed to his bedroom. He pulled the top drawer of his dresser open and grabbed a tube of thick liquid. He returned to find Naruto standing awkwardly, raising a brow as the raven walked towards him holding up the bottle with a smirk on his face.

"This is going to be our new best friend." He said, the blond grinning as he realized what it was.

"You actually bought some lube?" He laughed, imagining an embarassed Sasuke holding it out to a casier.

"Shut up."

Sasuke motioned to Naruto's pants and the blond kicked them off. After removing his own pants, he wrapped his arms around Naruto's thighs and pulled him up until he hugged Sasuke's waist with his legs, his back pressed firmly against the wall and his arms around the raven's neck.

Popping the cap off, Sasuke poured a generous amount of the liquid onto his fingertips. He prodded Naruto's entrance as a warning, after recieving a nervous nod from the other, he slid his index finger in knuckle deep. Naruto gasped, tighting his hold on the raven. He moved his finger inside of him until he felt the muscles loosening slightly, smirking as the blond grunted.

"Fuck! Oh my God!" Naruto breathed into Sasuke's ear.

"Relax." Sasuke nipped at the blonds ear, continuing to move his finger inside of him.

And then a second finger.

"Hnngh!" Naruto's face was bright red, a sweat breaking out on his forehead. "Fuck!"

Slowly, Sasuke removed his fingers. He squeezed another generous amount of lube onto his palm and lathered his own manhood with it. He pressed the head against Naruto's entrance, watching for the blond to give him permission. As soon as he saw the nod of approval, he slid into him. Just the tip at first, gradually pushing further into him.

Naruto pressed his face into the crook of Sasuke's neck, breathing heavily. He often imagined his 'reunion' with Sasuke while he was away in Suna, but his fantasies didn't live up to the real thing. Sasuke being inside of him, connected, as close as they could be, was the most amazing feeling in the world to him. He snapped his head back as the raven had reached a certain spot that felt particularly good.

"Fuuuuck! Sasuke!" He bit down on his lip to supress the urge to moan. Sightly embarrased by how loud he was being.

"No. I want to hear you. I want you loud." Sasuke said, biting and sucking at the blond's pulse as he thrusted himself deeper, moving faster than before.

"Unngh, fuck! Sasuke...so...good...fuck..." Naruto dropped his head back down against the raven's shoulder. Sasuke wrapped his arms around the blond, clutching him tightly as he thrusted himself into him.

A picture frame, hanging to the left of them, rattled from the beating the wall was getting from the two lovers and crashed to the floor when it just couldn't withstand the abuse any longer. The sound faint and muffled as the world melted around them. In this moment, nothing else exsisted.

Sasuke removed one of his arms and used it to pay a little attention to the blond's erect manhood. He pumped it in time to his thrusting, glad that it had been the same hand he had used to lube them up. Naruto's body shook, and not a moment later he had released his seed all over the raven's chest.

Sasuke hadn't lasted much longer, filling Naruto with his own cum mere seconds later. As soon as Sasuke slid out of him, Naruto slumped to the ground, his shaky legs unable to hold him up any longer. Sasuke joined him a moment later, the two of them breathing heavily and allowing their brains an adjustment period.

"Wow." Said Naruto, staring down at his trembling hands. "That was...fuckin' amazing."

Sasuke smirked next to him, his chest rising and falling as he tried to control his breathing. "The best we've had yet?"

"Oh yeah. I swear it gets better every time."

"Well, practice makes perfect."

The blond smiled and scooted himself closer to the raven, resting his head against his shoulder. "So how do you feel?"

"I'd say I'm feeling pretty relieved."

"You aren't stressed? Or angry? Sad?"

"I think this might just work, Naruto. I never thought I'd say this in a million years, but, you're a God damn genius."

"I win again, Sasuke."

"You sure do, Naruto."

~0~o~0~

It was early in the afternoon when Naruto and Sasuke had finished painting their assigned building, a quiant little bookshop owned by a kind elderly couple. The skies were clear, sunlight pouring over the village with a slight breeze to combat the heat. They walked side by side down the road, Naruto's hands behind his head and Sasuke's in his pockets.

"You hungry?" Sasuke asked, acknowledging the angry growl that had come from the blond's stomach.

"I'm literally starving." Naruto groaned, dropping his arms to his sides dramatically and dragging his feet. "I'm on the brink of death."

"Hn." Sasuke smirked. "Seems we better hurry and get you some food then. You clearly won't last much longer if we don't."

"Thank you for understanding." Naruto said a little too seriously, the raven rolling his eyes.

"How about we skip on the ramen today? I'm tired of bleeding broth."

"Huh?" Naruto frowned, confused.

"...you make me eat so much ramen, that it's feels like the blood in my viens is being replaced with ramen broth. Do I need to explain everything to you?"

"I'm no medical nin or anything, but I'm pretty sure that's impossible no matter how much ramen you eat. Because otherwise I'd definitely be bleedin' broth." Naruto scratched his chin imagining a world where that was possible. The looks on his enemies faces would be priceless.

"I said that it _feels _like-" Sasuke shook his head. "Oh, nevermind. So where should we go? There isn't much at my house and I know you won't have anything at your place either."

And, right on cue, the most delicious smell permeated the air around them.

"That. I want that. I don't even care what it is." Naruto said, sniffing the air.

"Seems it's coming from there." Sasuke nodded towards a restraunt just ahead of them to the left. "It does smell pretty good."

"Let's do it." Naruto confirmed, walking towards the building with a new pep in his step.

The inside of the building had a beautiful atmosphere, colliding a traditional setting with a modern one. It was alive with the sounds of chatter and the clinking of dishes. They recognized most of the customers from their days at the academy, being their own age or close to it, and gathered that this must be the new hot spot.

Towards the back of the room, they spotted the rookies they had grown up with. They were seated at a long table, Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji on one side, with TenTen, Lee, Kiba, Shino, and Hinata filling the other. Naruto immediately headed towards them with Sasuke following closely behind.

Hinata noticed them first, turning her head and hiding her face as she frowned. Kiba took notice and glanced up, spotting the two shinobi that had caused her discomfort. He caughed awkwardly and nodded his head towards them, the others catching the action and turning to see them approaching the table.

Naruto took no time at all plopping himself down in the seat beside Shikamaru, and Sasuke slid into the seat beside the blond. Oblivious as always, Naruto hadn't noticed the awkwardness that hung in the air following their arrival. Sasuke, however, felt it right away. And he had a pretty good idea what was causing it.

Kiba shifted uncomfortably in his seat, desperately trying to avoid the pointed glare that Sasuke was burning into the brunett's face.

"Uh, hey guys." Chouji said politely yet somewhat awkwardly. "Good to see you two...together. Ya know, friends and stuff...Ow!" He bent slightly, rubbing his leg beneath the table. "Ino! What the heck?"

"Way to be obvious, moron!" She said, face-palming.

"Obvious about what?" Naruto asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me." TenTen sighed, shaking her head. "Poor stupid soul."

"Hey, you guys are acting weird." Naruto frowned. "What's going on?"

"It's nothing." Said Shikamaru, pushing a menu towards him. "You should try this, you'll like it." He pointed to a noodle-centric dish and mouthed the words 'shut up' to the others when Naruto wasn't looking.

"That sounds awesome." Naruto grinned and pushed the menu to his right for Sasuke to examine. The raven nodded a thanks and went right back to glaring at the brunett in front of him when Naruto started a conversation with Lee.

As Naruto chatted away, continuing to stay oblivious to his uncomfortable comrades, Sasuke kicked Kiba from beneath the table and finally gained his attention. He started a silent conversation, consisting of facial expressions alone.

Sasuke's eyebrows pushed down in anger, his mouth in a frown.

Kiba smiled sheepishly and shrugged.

Sasuke raised one eyebrow.

Kiba frowned and turned his eyes towards Hinata.

The raven turned his head towards the Hyuuga and back towards the brunett.

The brunett nodded.

"If you'll excuse us, Kiba and I need to talk." He stood from his seat and stared at the panicking brunett until he followed suit. "Naruto, when the waiter comes by, just order me this." He pointed to the dish he wanted and turned away, Kiba reluctantly following him outside.

~0~o~0~

"So, Kiba, heard any new gossip lately?"

The brunett swallowed and scratched the back of his head. "So, funny story..."

"I never did have much of a sense of humor. But continue, I'm curious." He crossed his arms, his eyes darkening.

Kiba laughed nervously. "So, um." He cleared his throat. "Well, you see, I may or may not have told Hinata that you confirmed her suspicions or whatever and then she may or may not have confided in Ino about it when she couldn't find Sakura and, well, you know Ino..."

"Interesting. So, and correct me if I'm wrong, I do recall telling you not to tell a single living soul. I also remember telling you that you'd regret it if you did."

"Okay, yeah, in all fairness you did say those things-"

"And you accepted them and gave your word."

"I did, yeah..."

"And, then you proceeded to break your word."

"Well-"

"Well, this certainly is unfortunate for you, isn't it?"

"Oh my God! Please don't kill me! I didn't think she'd tell anyone! I have a dog to take care of, I can't die! What will happen to Akamaru? He needs me!"

~0~o~0~

Back inside the restraunt, the others watched through the giant glass windows at the front of the building as Sasuke smacked Kiba in the back of the head. The other falling to his knees and begging for his life to be spared. The raven shook his head and kicked Kiba off of him when he tried to latch on to his leg, still clearly pleading for forgiveness.

Naruto followed his comrades' gazes and quickly snapped his head back when he felt someone grab his arm.

"So! Naruto!" Said TenTen. "How are things? How was your trip to Suna? Did you like painting today?"

"Uh...things are good, Suna was fun, painting is always cool and why is Sasuke punching Kiba?"

"I cannot take this any longer!" Lee exclaimed. "We must be honest with Naruto! He is our comrade and we should not keep secrets!"

"Oh my God, Lee! What are you doing?" Ino whisper-yelled across the table, Shikamaru burying his face in his palm and the rest of them going dead silent as they tried to avoid the blond's eyes.

~0~o~0~

Sasuke re-entered the building, brushing dog hair off of his pants and smoothing out his tank top. Kiba followed him, sulking and cursing under his breath. When they approached the table Naruto was stitting stiffly, his face tomato red and his eyes wide.

"Oh, God damn it all." Sasuke said, touching Naruto's arm. "What's wrong?" He wasn't sure why he bothered asking, he was fairly certain he already knew the answer to his question.

"Y-you told them?" Naruto asked quietly.

"Half of them figured it out, dobe." He sighed and straightened his posture, letting go of Naruto's arm. "Raise your hand if you hate Naruto now." He said monotoniously.

Shino coughed. The rest just stared blankly back at him.

"Wow. Look at that. No one hates you."

"Listen, Naruto." Kiba said, returning to his seat beside Hinata. "I mean, it's weird and, like, kinda gross or whatever, but I really don't care. None of us do."

"He's right, Naruto." Shino spoke up for the first time. "We may not understand it. And it may be a little strange, but, it's really none of our business. You're the same person you always were aren't you?"

"It is not a shameful thing to find love!" Lee exclaimed passionately, fist raised. "It is beautiful no matter where it is found!"

Naruto stared back at him, recalling the similar words that Gaara had said to him not long ago. His chest tightened and his face became warmer. His emotions were battling it out inside of him. He was unsure of whether he was embarassed, or if he was happy that it seemed his friends had understood and accepted him despite his doubts. In the end, he decided he was both.

"S-so, you guys don't think I'm a freak or anything?"

"Oh, no, hun you are definitely a total freak." Ino said in her sassiest voice. "But you've always been a freak and we loved you then, so why wouldn't we still love you now? I mean, totally not cool that you snagged the village hottie." She paused, winking at the unamused raven. "But, I'm not a little kid anymore. Something like that isn't going to stop our friendship."

Naruto swallowed nervously as he thought of a certain pink-haired kunoichi. "W-what about Sakura? Does she know about this?"

The others shifted uncomfortably in their seats and Ino scratched the bridge of her nose, frowning. "Well, we all agreed to let you two be the ones break the news...it really isn't our place. She's your teammate so she should hear it from you." She wrung a napkin in her hands as she spoke, her eyes softening. "She's still has feelings for Sasuke, you know...so, just, be considerate. She's my best friend, and we fight a lot, but, I'm a little worried about how she'll take it."

Naruto stared down at his lap, clenching and un-clenching his fists. "Yeah...I guess I didn't think much about how this would affect her, ya know."

"She's a big girl. She can handle it." Sasuke said, taking a sip of his iced water.

"Don't be such a jerk!" Naruto said, snapping his head towards the raven. "She's been in love with you since we were kids, don't you feel even a little bad for her?"

"I've made my feelings clear long ago, and continue to do so. She knows where I stand. She's my comrade and friend. That's all. She should be ready to accept this." Sasuke said simply, resting his head in his hand.

"It's not that simple." Ino said, glaring daggers at the Uchiha. "Whether or not she knows you're not interested in her, that won't change her feelings and it'll still hurt to see you with someone else! Imagine how she'll feel when her two teammates, and closest friends, hook up and leave her behind!"

Sasuke glared right back at her, and shrugged. He leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms. "Like I said, she's a big girl. She can handle it. I'm sure she'll be upset at first but what the hell am I supposed to do about that?"

Naruto stared at him and sighed. "You better just let me do all the talkin'. You'll probably be a jerk about it."

"Fine. I really don't feel like dealing with all that anyway. But while we're on the subject of who knows, and who doesn't...let's try to keep this between us for now. Got it?" He glared around the table at his comrades. "Especially you, Kiba. Don't go barking about our business all over town." The brunett swallowed nervously and nodded his head.

"Why does it really matter?" Chouji asked. "All of us already know, and you'll probably tell Sakura soon too-"

"It matters because I don't exactly have the best reputation. And Naruto's pretty much garaunteed the next position as Hokage. I don't want to fuck that up. It's already frowned upon that he associates himself with me. If people knew just how involved with me he is, it may end up dragging him down. I don't want that to happen."

Naruto turned to the raven, surprised at his words. "But Sasuke-"

"I know that eventually, people will know about us." Sasuke said, frowning at his lap. "I just think it would be better if we prolonged that until I have them convinced that I'm not the enemy anymore."

The rest of the table nodded silently in agreement. After all, he did have a pretty damn good point. The rookies had come to accept him because of Naruto, but even they weren't completely comfortable with him being back just yet. It was going to take time. And if they were having a hard time getting over his crimes, then anyone who wasn't originally friends with him would have an even harder time.

Naruto just stared at his lap until their meals came, all of them eating in mostly silence, save for some awkward small talk. He had too much on his mind and Sasuke wasn't helping much with the stress of telling Sakura. He cared a lot about her and it hurt to think that he'd be the reason for her broken heart. But, she had to be told. Especially now that everyone else knew. And he really wasn't looking forward to it.

~0~o~0~

"What?!" Kakashi stood from his desk and approached the dark-haired boy in the center of his office, narrrowing his eyes. "Are you sure about this?"

"I'm certain." Sai replied, calmly.

The sixth Hokage raked a gloved hand through his gray hair. "How did you gather this intel so quickly? You're absolutely certain they trust you?"

"It wasn't hard to gain their trust, after I convinced them that I hated Sasuke. They know I was once under Danzo's orders. We were in the foundation together."

"This is more serious than I thought." He sighed heavily and rubbed the back of his head.

"There's one other thing you should know..." Sai stepped foward and handed a scroll to the Hokage.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow as he undid the string and unrolled the parchment. The longer his eyes scanned it's contents, the wider they got. His heart skipped a beat and the scroll shook in his grasp.

"Send me Naruto and Sasuke immediately."

~0~o~0~

A cool breeze danced through the trees and entwined itself in soft pink hair. The tears that slipped down her pale cheeks left a burning coldness in their tracks. She stared at her comrades in disbelief. The blond staring at the ground, the raven glancing off into the distance with his hands in his pockets.

"I'm sorry, Sakura." Naruto said, keeping his gaze on the concrete beneath him. "I hope this doesn't mess up our friendship..."

"W-when did this happen?" She asked quietly, her voice shaking. She looked to Sasuke and bit her lip. He hadn't spoken a single word.

"Ms. Haruno!" A young nurse shouted from the Hospital's double doors. "Tsunade says your break is up!"

"I'l be there in just a moment!" Sakura yelled back, her voice cracking. She turned back to her teammates, anticipating their response.

"Well, I guess deep down, we always sort of knew-"

"But, when? When did this happen? How long have you kept this from me?" Sakura asked desperately.

"It hasn't been long." Sasuke finally said. "Certainly not long enough for people to be finding out already. But that couldn't be helped thanks to a certain loud mouth and an overly-observant woman who couldn't mind her own business."

"So, I'm not even the first to know? You're only telling me because other people already found out?" She clenched her fists, fighting back tears.

"Our old classmates from the academy know. No one else. I'd like it to stay that way. Understand?"

"But...I just...how did this happen? I never imagined the two of you...this is so strange, isn't it? I've never even seen another couple like-"

"Just be sure that you keep your mouth shut." Sasuke snapped, growing impatient.

"Sasuke!" Naruto glared at the raven. "Cut it out!"

"Whatever." Sakura said, pushing past them. "I need to get back to work."

"Sakura." Sasuke said, firmly. "Give us your word." He grabbed her arm and she immediately yanked it away from him.

"Fuck you, Sasuke."

Naruto watched as she ran back into the hospital, guilt dropping like lead into his gut. Sasuke seemed to be annoyed but otherwise content. The blond clenched his fists, his eyebrows turning down in anger.

"Sasuke, you didn't have to be so mean! You really hurt her feelings!"

"I needed to be sure she wouldn't go off telling everyone. I realize that this is hurting her, but it's more important that-"

"Sasuke, Naruto!" The two whipped their heads around to find Sai approaching them, looking rather serious. "Come with me, please."

"What do you want?" Sasuke asked, narrowing his eyes. He never did care for the socially awkward artist.

"It's urgent. We need to see Hokage-sama right away."

"Kakashi-sensei? Why? What's happened?" Naruto asked, following the former root member towards the Hokage building, Sasuke at his side.

"Oh, you'll find out." Sai said, darkly.

Sasuke had a bad feeling about this.

**A/N: Leaving on another cliff hanger because ayyyyye that's how I roll. Also, I wanted to mention that I saw the Boruto premier on Naruto's birthday and OH MY GODDDD 10/10 much good, such amazing, very movie. Seriously, guys. Best Naruto movie imo. Emotional, badass, nostalgic, cute, funny...like everything I could have hoped for. And not to mention, ALL DAT SASU-KAY. His development is beyond perfect and amazing by the way. Same old Sasuke, much better attitude and priorities. Much recommend. I can't wait for the DVD release. **


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Guess who's back! Back again! Dungeon's back! Tell a friend! Guess who's back, guess who's back, guess who's *coughs**clears throat* Well, that's enough of that. Anyway! Here's another chapter for you lovelies! I've been doing much better on updates lately *pats self on back*. Mostly decided to get this chapter done tonight since I was hungover and didn't plan on leaving my house at all, for any reason, no matter what. Haha *sweat-drop* yeah, it was an all-day-pajama-day. Halloween gets pretty fun in your twenties, let me tell you. Cosplayed as Itachi and screamed "Fire Style! Fire-ball jutsu!" every time I took a shot of fireball whiskey. I don't know, I think I'm funny. Anyways, thanks so much for the reviews, you're all so wonderful to me and you really get me pumped and motivated to write. I love you all dearly!**

**DISCLAIMER: Kishi-sensei owns these dudes. I do not. **

~0~o~0~

When the three Shinobi entered Kakashi's office, he was seated at his desk with his fingertips pressed against his temples. He looked up as he heard the door open and rose from his seat, greeting them with a silent nod before walking around the desk and leaning against the front of it, hands in pockets.

"Sasuke, Naruto..." He ran a hand through his hair, not breaking eye contact. "We've got a real big mess on our hands."

Naruto swallowed nervously, stealing a glance at Sasuke, who stealed his face with indifference. "Does this have something to do with-" He paused and looked to Sai, careful not to reveal anything, just in case.

"Sai is the person I had gathering intel from the ANBU." Kakashi stated. "He's discovered quite a bit in the short time that he's been assigned this mission. That's what I wanted to talk to you about."

Sasuke tensed, careful not to let his face betray him. There was a good chance that Naruto would freak out, someone had to stay calm. "So." He said. "What kind of information did he gather?"

"Sai?" Kakashi prompted. The other nodded and turned towards his comrades.

"Right. Well, Sasuke, it seems they don't want you back here." He said simply.

"They don't?" Sasuke said with mock surprise. "Get to the point already." He rolled his eyes, placing a hand on his hip.

"You shouldn't be so rude, Uchiha. It isn't helping your case much. No wonder-"

"Sai! Just get on with it. I am in no mood for arguing." Kakashi said, exhaustion evident in his tone. He was getting too old for this shit.

"Yes, Hokage-sama. My apologies." He smiled creepily, although genuine. "Anyway, as I was saying, they don't want you here. And by that, I mean, they're trying to drive you away from the village."

"I told you!" Naruto shouted, tugging at Sasuke's arm.

"Shut up, dobe." Sasuke pushed the blond away, turning back to Sai. "Continue."

"The plan is to make you leave of your own accord. That attack was meant to anger you enough that you'd abandon the village again. If that first attack didn't work, they planned to continue them until you got fed up with it and decided that being here wasn't worth it. And, if you were to leave, you'd be back to your 'missing nin' status and you would be emprisoned if caught."

"I assumed as much. Did you find out anything useful?" Sasuke asked in a bored tone.

"Well, seems you were right to suspect your therapist."

Kakashi lowered his head and Naruto turned to Sasuke, guilt written all over his face. Sasuke snorted and crossed his arms arrogantly. Well, surprise, surprise. Why didn't anyone ever listen to him?

"The medication was part of the plan too. What she was giving you, wasn't just designed for a chemical imbalance in the brain, as she led you to believe. It was actually a chakra supressant mixed with a mood stabilizer. That's why you were so drained all the time. And that's why you couldn't eat or sleep. The chakra suppressent intensified the side effects of the drug. The idea was to make you weak, robbing you of the ability to fight back."

"I fucking knew something was up with that..." Sasuke said quitely to himself.

Naruto scratched the back of his head and shuffled his feet around. He started thinking that maybe he should start listening to Sasuke more. "So that stuff really was hurting more than helping, huh?" His guilt turned to anger in a matter of seconds. "That bitch! Just wait 'til I get my hands on her! I'll throw a Rasen-Shuriken right at her stupid face!"

"Calm down, Naruto. You aren't going to confront her. Got that?" Kakashi said authoritively.

"But, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto whined, throwing his arms out.

"Be quiet and listen, dobe." Sasuke said, smacking the back of his head.

"Are you finished?" Sai asked, somehow sounding rather polite. The blond nodded. "That isn't all there is to it either. That's just the beginning. As of right now, the members of this ANBU group are arguing over whether or not they should go behind that woman's back and just kill Sasuke." Naruto gasped and was about to say something when Sasuke held up a hand to silence him. "Furthermore, they've got their friends and families convinced that Sasuke is up to something. Even I do not know the identities of these people."

"So, what you're saying is that there are people planted all over the village who are determined to drive me away? It's not just my therapist and the ANBU, there are others in on the plan as well?"

"Exactly. Although, they don't know anything about the actual plan itself, they're only being brainwashed to drive you away."

"That explains a few encounters I've had." Sasuke said thoughtfully.

"But the thing I find the most troubling is what they have planned if Sasuke were to somehow withstand the drugs and attacks and stay in the village." He shared a look with Kakashi and cleared his throat. "Sasuke...they've been watching you. I think you know what that means."

Sasuke's heart stopped. The blood in his veins froze and his hands began to shake. _Fuck!_

Screw keeping his composure. "They've been watching me?!" His voice cracked slightly, too concerned with this information to really care. "How did I not notice...how did they...fuck!" He looked at Naruto and saw the look of horror on his face. He may not be the brightest guy, but even he could put two and two together.

"So..." Naruto said quietly. "They, um, know? A-about...um..." He looked to Kakashi, blushing furiously. He wondered what his former sensei must think of him now and inwardly cringed at the thought of him knowing.

"They do." Kakashi confirmed. He looked from the blond to the raven and sighed. "What you two have going on between you is about to become a huge problem. Sai, tell them..."

"They plan to expose the two of you. They're determined to spread the word and manipulate the villagers into thinking it's perverted and wrong. Sasuke, your reputation is already stained, but they plan to detroy Naruto's as well. And, considering a homosexual relationship is already taboo, it won't take much to convince people. They'll go on about what a terrible example it would be for Naruto to become Hokage while in a relationship with another male. They'll say that you corrupted him and pulled him into your perverted lifestyle."

"No...God dammit, this is exactly what I was trying to avoid!" Sasuke clenched his fists, gritting his teeth. "Fuck!"

"B-but...maybe people will be more understanding than we think. I told Gaara...and he was accepting...and the other's from our academy days...they're okay with it too..." Naruto sounded hopeful, although his expression looked more fearful.

"That's because they know the two of you on a personal level." Kakashi said. "Not to mention, they're from a different generation. I can confirm that not everyone will view it the same way."

"It's true." Sai agreed. "The ANBU members were absolutely disgusted. And I'm willing to bet they won't be the only ones to feel that way. For a man to lay with another man is taboo. These ANBU are absolutely determined to destroy Naruto's chance at becoming Hokage, and tear Sasuke down until he's at his breaking point. I'm convinced they'll succeed. Sasuke, you're not mentally stable enough to-"

"Shut up!" Sasuke shouted, shoving sai. "Fuck you! I'm not letting this happen...I'll fucking kill them before they get the chance to destroy Naruto's dream! He's worked way too hard for this and I'm not going to let them ruin it! After that, I'll leave. They all expect me to betray the village anyway. I don't care what happens to me, I don't care if I go back to being a wanted criminal-"

"Sasuke, stop!" Naruto grabbed Sasuke's arm and locked eyes, a pleading desperation in his own. "You can't! I won't let you throw everything away! Not after I worked so hard to bring you back!"

Sasuke ripped his arm from the blond's clutches, his eyes darkening. "You don't deserve to lose your dream. I've already fucked up my life. I never should have gotten involved with you. It was selfish and theres no way anything good could come from this."

Naruto looked like a kicked puppy. "N-nothing good could come from this? What are you saying? I thought..."

"It doesn't matter how we feel, Naruto. This can't work. Not if it means you could lose your chance at being Hokage. I'm not worth that."

"Are you breaking up with me?" Naruto asked, feeling himself go numb. Was this seriously happening right now? "Please don't! We'll make them understand! We can-"

"Enough." Sasuke snapped. "There are some things you just can't fix with words."

"If I could get through to Nagato, Obito, and you, then I can definitely convince people that there's nothing wrong with us! I'll even convince them that they can trust you! We can fix this! Don't give up...please..." He blinked back tears, clutching the raven's arm.

"Could you two do this later?" Kakashi asked, sighing. "And, Sasuke, you are not assasinating a team of ANBU and you are not leaving the village again. After everything Naruto and I did to help you be accepted back here, you're not throwing it away. We'll figure something else out. Both you and Naruto need to stay out of this. Do not make any decisions you'll regret. The only reason I'm letting you in on this is because I feel I owe it to you. That, and the fact that the two of you need to know about the severity of what's going on regarding your...relationship. I suggest you stay very low-key for a while. And if word should get out before the problem is resolved, I wanted you to be mentally prepared to deal with what may be coming."

"See, Sasuke? We'll figure something out...you don't have to shoulder the burden all by yourself! You're always trying to do that...I thought you finally understood the problem with that..."

"I'm simply trying to right my own wrongs and take responsibility for my actions. There's no reason for you to suffer because of me."

"If I may interject?" Sai asked, holding up an index finger. "It's really looking as though Sasuke doesn't have a chance. These ANBU are not the only people who feel so strongly about Sasuke's residence here in Konoha. I've been eavesdropping a lot lately whenever I hear his name, and there's an overwhelming amount of distrust within the village towards him. It won't be easy to convince them otherwise. Naruto has already done his fair share of talking him up and it hasn't really worked thus far. Perhaps we can work something out in which Sasuke can leave without being considered a missing nin. Jiraiya-sama and Tsunade-sama were both wanderers and it was accepted. The council could probably work out a similar deal with Sasuke."

"I would be okay with that." Sasuke said, purposefully avoiding the gaping blond beside him.

"I'm not sure how they'll respond, honestly." Kakashi said, crossing his arms. "They're pretty suspicious of him. They might actually feel safer with him here, where we can keep an eye on him."

"If that's the case then why did it take so much convincing to allow me to stay here in the first place?" Sasuke asked, irritably.

"You have no idea how difficult these people can be." Kakashi stated flatly.

"Well, it's worth a shot, right? Besides, if they were to find out about Naruto and I, they may want me gone anyway."

"About that..." Sai said, hesitantly. "They may learn this information sooner than we think. After all, it was the council that asked the ANBU to keep an eye on him."

"What?!" Sasuke and Kakashi exclaimed in unison.

"Hokage-sama, you weren't aware of this?" Sai said, raising an eyebrow.

"I was not." Kakashi bit out. Man, he was really getting tired of things slipping past him.

"Well that's just fucking great." Sasuke said, bitterly. "Those acient bastards. They've just got a grudge against the Uchiha. After what they did to Itachi-"

"Sasuke!" Kakashi interupted, his eyebrows cast downwards.

"I don't think it's fair for him to have his name tainted like this. He was-"

"Enough!" The tired Hokage rubbed at this temples, feeling the stress of the evening taking it's toll.

"Whatever." Sasuke said bitterly, clenching his fists. "So what's the plan? What the hell are we supposed to do about all this? I assume these people are to recieve some form of punishment. Right?"

"Yes. They will be taken care of. I need to go through the councel before I can issue any orders though. And it's normally the ANBU that take care of criminals around here, since we no longer have a police department. I'm worried about how all of this is going to play out. There's a chance of rebellion if the rest of the ANBU agree with what that group is doing."

"This could get messy." Sai agreed. "We need to be careful."

"So." Said Sasuke. "First take care of those bastards and lock them up. Then, I'll convince the councel to let me leave to avoid more trouble in the future should anyone else oppose my residence here."

"That's the plan." Kakashi sighed. "Let's just hope it all goes smoothly."

"I don't like the second part of this plan." Naruto growled. "Why should Sasuke have to leave? This is his home too! Everyone needs to just learn to deal with it! They need to know he's not a threat! Sasuke, you can show them you've changed. Eventually they'll see that you're trustworthy!"

"Naruto." Sai placed a hand on the blond's shoulder. "I agree that it isn't right. Sasuke proved himself when he helped you release the Infinite Tsukuyomi and he hasn't given us a reason not to trust him since then. But, you have to understand that if there are so many people unwilling to accept him, it could jeopordize the peace we've worked so hard to achieve. People will just keep trying to drive him away. This solution is the only one that could prevent all of that."

Naruto frowned and shrugged Sai's hand away. "The kind of peace I want, is the kind where people can learn to accept one another. A peace that spreads understanding and second chances. It's not true peace if we have to turn our backs on an innocent person just to make everyone else happy. Sasuke doesn't deserve this. He's made up for what he's done and he's been loyal to us since then!"

Sasuke shook his head, sighing. "Naruto, stop being so idealistic. Things don't work that way. It's just not that simple."

"Shut up!" Naruto shouted. "I'm sick of everyone saying stuff like that instead of working to make it happen! No one's even trying!"

"Grow up, Naruto. The world isn't going to change just because you want it to. The way things are right now, is the best we're going to get. Just be greatful for the changes we've had, things are a lot better than they were. It's never going to be perfect. A perfect world does not exist. That was Madara's mistake. That was the whole point of the Infinite Tsukuyomi, to put everyone in their own perfect world. That was the only way it could be possible. And that was wrong. You're dreaming, it's time for you to wake up." Sasuke said darkly, turning towards the door. "I'm going home. Kakashi, I'll be back sometime tomorrow to discuss the plan after you've had time to think about it. Naruto...I'll see you around."

"Wait!" Naruto yelled, grabbing Sasuke's hand as he opened the door. "I'm not done talking to you yet!"

"Save it. We'll talk later."

"Promise me!" Naruto pleaded, tightening his grip. "Promise me you'll still be here tomorrow and we'll work everything out."

"I promise I'll still be here. Good night." He wrenched his hand away and slammed the door behind him, the blond staring blankly at the large wooden door.

"I should be heading out, too." Sai said. "I've got to be up early to meet at the base. Good luck, Naruto." He nodded to the two others and quietly left the office.

"Kakashi-sensei..." Naruto said, nervously. "Um, can I talk to you about something?"

"It's about you and Sasuke isn't it?" Kakashi sighed. "I figured."

~0~o~0~

Darkness had fallen on the village and the previously crowded streets were void of occupants. Sasuke was thankful for the privacy as he walked swiftly towards his home. He cursed under his breath as he walked, more than dissatisfied with his current situation. Things were becoming much too messy, much too quickly. He didn't want to leave Naruto, he really didn't.

But, even more than that, he didn't want Naruto to suffer because of him.

He sighed deeply, mindlessly kicking a pebble as he walked. He watched carelessly as the pebble skidded and plopped into a puddle near the edge of the path. Sasuke stopped dead in his tracks, staring through narrowed eyes. It hadn't rained in weeks and this path was outside of town, surrounded by forestry.

He sighed in irritation and returned to his swift pace. "Thank god my home isn't far from here." He said. "This day has really left me irritated." he added with a drop of venom. A quiet splash was heard from behind him and he rolled his eyes as he continued down the path.

When he reached him home, he braced himself as he creaked his door open, irritated by the familiar chakra signature coming from his living room. He slid his sandals off and turned the corner to find a smirking, white-haired man lounging on his sofa as if he lived there.

"Hey, Sasuke." He said, pointy teeth glinting in the dim lighting. "Long time, no see."

"What the hell are you doing here, Suigetsu?" He bit out. With everything currently going on, he really didn't need any more drama. And the fact that his former teammate was lounging on his couch unexpectedly, was undoubtedly a bad sign.

"Oh, come on now. Don't be like that." Suigetsu said in mock hurt. "We're old comrades after all. You're not even going to ask me how I've been? All I get's a 'what the hell are you doing here'?"

"Let me put this bluntly. I've had a terrible day and I'm not in the mood for your games right now. Just get to the fucking point before I lose my cool." He stormed across the room and fell into his arm chair, promptly crossing his legs and leaning his cheek against his hand.

"Sasuke Uchiha, lose his cool? What could possibly be bad enough to cause that? Although, it is annoying how cool you are all the damn time, so I am a little curious." He grinned devilishly. Clearly this man had a death wish.

"I invite you to test it out, if you think you'll survive the outcome."

"Oh, how I missed this banter." Suigetsu laughed, scratching the back of his head. "Alright, I've had my fun. I'm sure you've already figured out that I came here for a reason."

"What a pity. I was really hoping I was lucky enough to recieve a friendly visit from you. Catch up on old times." Ouch. The king of sarcasm strikes again. "Okay, so what the hell do you want from me?"

"Buckle up, Uchiha." Suigetsu laughed, grinning at Sasuke's eye-roll. "Orochimaru built a new base. I bet you already knew that though, since one of Konoha's conditions was to know exactly where he was and to be allowed to pop in on him randomly. Well, he's still experimenting, except this time he only takes willing volunteers and no one's being locked in fuckin' cages."

"What a swell guy." Sasuke stated flatly. "Truly admirable."

"Hey man, I'm not saying he isn't still a creep. He totally is. But, he's seriously changed. You know he has, because otherwise there's no way in hell I'd go back to him. Get this, dude baked Juugo, Karin, and I lemon squares just last week."

Sasuke blinked at him.

"Fucking _lemon squares_, Sasuke!" Suigetsu threw up his arms for emphasis. "And he's got baby fever for some strange reason. I mean it. The other day he was sulking around the place mumbling about wanting a baby."

Sasuke sighed and rubbed at his temples. "And, what does any of this have to do with me?"

"Listen, I'm here on his behalf but, if I'm being honest I have my own reasons too. The thing is, he's experimenting with DNA. He wants your approval and cooperation to use yours. And, I'm going crazy being stuck in a lab with Karin and Juugo. I kinda miss your sarcastic ass. You always kept the balance between us, that's why Team Taka worked together so well."

"You're asking me to come back with you to Orochimaru's base? You're really asking me to join back up with the people that I associated with during the time I had fallen the farthest. You realize I'm under extreme speculation and I'm not exactly the most trustworthy person, right? They're watching me like fucking hawks, Suigetsu." He crossed his arms and glared at the pointy toothed rogue. "And, just what the fuck is that creep planning to do with my DNA anyway?"

"Look, I knew you probably wouldn't go for it if you were happy here. So, before I decided to even bother you with the question, I've been lurching in Konoha's shadows for the past two days and you don't look so happy, Sasuke." He arched an eyebrow at Sasuke's stony expression. "At least you'll be wanted at Orochimaru's base. None of us are going to judge you or try to push you away. From what I can tell, you aren't wanted here." He sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "As for what he's planning to do with your DNA, well I'm not exactly sure. He said he'd explain it to you, if you were willing to come back with me."

Sasuke contemplated the option, weighing the pros and cons. After all, wasn't the plan to leave Konoha anyway? At least at Orochimaru's base, he'd have a purpose. As much as he detested Orochimaru, he had grown fond of Team Taka. And his former teammates had despised Orochimaru just as much as he had, and yet they seemed content to work with him. So perhaps the old snake bastard had changed considerably after all. And Sasuke's options were really running low at this point.

But, what the hell did Orochimaru want with his DNA? Just what exactly was he planning? What kind of experiments was he running these days? If he was trying to obtain the sharingan for himself, that wasn't happening. Sasuke would be damned if he'd let that bastard have the Uchiha's unique bloodline trait. But, still, if Orochimaru was as reasonable these days as Suigetsu had made him out to be, perhaps Sasuke could help him in other ways. At least then he'd have a purpose and a strong enough will to never allow the creep to take advantage of him.

"Give me a day to think on it. Things have gotten a little out of hand as of late, and presently I'm unsure if I'll be staying in Konoha much longer." Sasuke snorted at Suigetsu's enthusiasm as he slapped his hands together and grinned from ear to ear.

"Of course. I'll be back tomorrow for your answer."

~0~o~0~

With an exaggerated sigh, the weary Hokage fell into his seat. A dismal blond filled the office with a heavy gloom as he locked cerulean eyes with the wooden floor boards. The conversation about to be had pulling on them like a death grip, despite wanting nothing more to avoid it, they both knew it was coming.

"Kakashi-sensei..." Naruto started, too ashamed to meet the Hokage's eyes. "What do you think? About me and Sasuke, I mean."

The silver-haired man shifted in his seat, sifting through his brain for the right words. He needed to go about this delicately and he had to be careful not to offend his former student. After all, Naruto was like a son to him. This kind of thing should be handled with care. "Naruto, I admit that the whole thing makes me a little uncomfortable."

Naruto winced, tightening his fists.

"But," The Hokage continued. "You and Sasuke are very important to me. I'll accept the both of you no matter what. After all, news like this is nothing compared to discovering Sasuke's internationally wanted criminal status." He chuckled light-heartedly, a little light breaking through the gloom.

Naruto finally looked up, finding a soft look in his former sensei's eyes. A small feeling of comfort swelled inside of him and a flickering sense of hope spread through his heart. "You're not against it then?" He asked.

"Look, Naruto. It's like I said, it makes me uncomfortable. But, despite that discomfort, it's not my place to tell you it's wrong. I only wonder if you're confusing your feelings."

"Confusing our feelings? What do you mean, Kakashi-sensei?"

The Hokage rubbed at his temples. This was the part that needed to be the most carefully thought out before he really offended the blond. Naruto's short temper wasn't something to mess with. "The two of you grew up alone, starved of love. You never had parents to observe as an example of a healthy functioning relationship. And, Sasuke was so young when his parents were killed, that he hadn't yet understood what romantic love really was. Neither one of you had a parent to teach you about that sort of thing."

"What does that have to do with anything? I don't get it. Just 'cause I never had parents and Sasuke lost his when he was little, doesn't mean we don't know how we feel." Naruto spoke defensively, immediately raising his gaurd.

"I know that you two have both been through Hell. You understand each other in a way that no one else possibly could. I know how important each of you is to the other...but maybe you're misinterpreting the closeness you feel. Are you sure you understand the difference between romance and friendship?"

Naruto's jaw clenched, his fists shaking. Azure eyes narrowed at his former sensei. "You think we're stupid enough to mix up our feelings?"

"That's not what I meant. I just-"

"Because I'm pretty sure the things these feelings I have for Sasuke make me do are things that I would never do with a friend like Kiba or Shikamaru."

Kakashi blushed and suddenly became very uncomfortable. This was really something he didn't want to think about. Especially when it involved his two former students. He shivered as he shook the thoughts away.

"Sure, me and Sasuke may not have had parents around to teach us about these kind of things. But don't you dare try to tell me what I'm feeling or what he's feeling. We aren't idiots and we're not as ignorant as you think. I can tell the difference between what I feel for him and what I feel for my comrades. Just seeing his face...I-"

"Okay, Naruto." Kakashi interupted. "I think I get it. Just, for the love of God don't go into detail." He rubbed at his temples. Well, at least now he knew the relationship really was worth fighting for. The blond had just made it painfully clear that this wasn't a result of confusion.

"Sorry." Naruto said awkwardly, blushing as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, then. If this is the case, and you two seriously want to be together and this isn't some fling-"

"It's not! I swear! We-"

"I know, Naruto. As I was saying, I will do what I can to protect you. I don't want Sasuke to leave either. Not after we just got him back. And I refuse to let the villagers turn their backs on you now. Not after everything you've done, and certainly not over something as insignificant as who you've chosen to be with." He spoke sharply, his words hard and determined.

The blond relaxed immediately at hearing these words. Happiness swelled inside of him and that small glint of hope grew brighter, chasing away his doubts. He smiled at the Hokage and felt assured that he could trust the man. After all, it was Kakashi who taught him the importance of protecting your comrades.

"Thanks, Kakashi-sensei." He said, tears forming at the corners of his deep blue eyes. "I'm puttin' my trust in ya!"

"I'll do all that I can, Naruto. You have my word." Kakashi smiled back at him through his mask, his eyes curving joyously. He watched as the blond mock-soluted him and left the office. His heart fell into his stomach as he thought about the stress the next few days were promising.

He had a plan. Was it a good plan? Well, he wasn't sure. All he knew was that he was pretty much desperate at this point and there was no way in Hell that he would fail team seven again. He felt like he had made so many mistakes in the past and now it was time that he made up for them. No matter what, he was going to fight for these two. After all, he was the Hokage, damn it.

~0~o~0~

Naruto finished towel-drying his hair and flopped onto his bed. Bright azure eyes locked on the blank white ceiling above him as he recounted the events of the evening. His thoughts rolling around in his head and tugging on his heart. On one hand, he was relieved to have Kakashi's support. On the other hand, he was deathly afraid of what Sasuke would do next.

More than anything, he wanted to reassure himself that Sasuke wouldn't really leave. He wanted to believe that Sasuke had made a rash decision in the heat of the moment. Perhaps the raven was overtaken by the severity of the threat the ANBU had presented...

But, this was Sasuke Uchiha. The shinobi who went rogue at the age of fourteen and almost destroyed the village in honor of his late brother. This was the man who had been so determined to bare the hatred of all people on his own shoulders. And he had come close to achieving it. Sasuke was not easily swayed by others. When his mind was made up, that was it. He was his own man, and no one could stop him.

_No one but me. _

That hope in his heart began glowing again. He had gotten through to Sasuke once before. He had gotten through to many people who had been deemed too far gone to listen. Naruto smiled slightly as he remembered something very important he learned a long time ago.

He had to believe in himself.

He could do this. He wouldn't lose Sasuke and he would become Hokage one day.

He just had to remind the world how beautiful it is to come together and understand one another. To know the pain in each other's hearts, and to accept people for who they were. Differences could be set aside to achieve peace.

He and Sasuke were proof of that.

And, he was going to show them all.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Ayyye! I'm back! Just a fun little tid bit for you guys, I turned 23 on the 15th and I'm pretty sure I'm going through some sort of quarter-life crisis. WHY AM I STILL AGING? THIS NEEDS TO STOP. Like, what in the actual fuck is going on, I swear to Kami I was like 19 just last week, like, I can't be 23...TWENTY FUCKING THREE? Ugh, I'm elderly and I'm withering away into the night. Goodbye to you all, it won't be long now. It's the end for me. It's all downhill from here. My best days are behind me now. **

**DISCLAIMER: Kishi got the rights, yo. I'm just a thristy fangirl. **

**WARNING: Oh ya know, violence and stuff. **

**~0~o~0~**

"You can't be serious." An elderly woman with gray hair pulled up into a bun said, disbelievingly. "This is ridiculous. It will never work."

Kakashi sighed. "This is a new era, things have changed since the old days. Naruto has proven what the power of words can do to change people."

"I agree with Koharu, this plan of yours...do you honestly believe this will solve everything? Perhaps, this will work in Naruto's case. But, regarding Sasuke Uchiha, I doubt people will change their minds so easily." An older man said in his deep, demanding voice. His impatience was growing noticible in his downcast eyebrows.

"I am the Hokage." Kakashi said firmly. "It's time I took things into my own hands and dealt with this head on. They will listen to me. I will make them understand."

"And, what if they don't? Homura is right to assume that people will not change their minds about Sasuke. His presence will threaten the peace of the village." Koharu spoke again, condescendingly.

"We'll deal with that when we get to it. For now, I'm confident that I can fix things. I was appointed Hokage for a reason, I'd like to think that people will respect what I have to say."

"If this is how you want to handle it, go right ahead. I don't see the harm in trying. Although, I'm skeptical of how well this will work." Homura said, adjusting his glasses.

"Well, first things first. Let's take care of the criminals." Kakashi grinned beneath his mask.

"Right." Koharu and Homura spoke in unison.

"Send for Sasuke and Sai." Said Homura, authority ringing in his voice.

~0~o~0~

Sasuke sighed as he walked through the village. His glare murderous as he endured countless insults. Although, today's insults were a little different from the usual.

"Disgusting."

"Faggot."

"Pervert."

Well, by the looks of it, word must have gotten out. He stalked through the crowd, not bothering to dodge the shoulder checks but careful to avoid the people who spat at him. How unsanitary.

"Sasuke!" The raven whipped around to find Chouji approaching him.

"Yeah?" He asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"I swear none of us said anything!" Chouji said, seeming a little panicked.

"I know. Word got out through someone else." He said dispassionately.

"It wasn't Sakura either. She punched some dude earlier for talking about you, so-"

"I know." Sasuke repeated. "I already know exactly who it was. Have you seen Naruto?"

"Oh." Chouji said, scratching the back of his head. "Well, okay then. Uhh, I haven't seen Naruto yet actually. He's sure in for a surprise though."

"Yeah. Thanks anyway." He turned away. "Later."

"Later."

Sasuke frowned as he walked down the street. He was hoping he could speak to the blond before his appointment with his therapist. But, he supposed he could talk to him afterwards instead.

Before he could reach his destination, he happened to bump into a certain pink-haired kunoichi. She looked upset and immediately grabbed his arm before he could brush past her. He met her eyes and sighed, deciding to hear what she had to say. After all, if he was being fair, she was a good friend and he had been unnecesarily rude to her the day before.

"Sasuke, I swear I would never spread this around. You have to believe me. No matter how I feel about it, I wouldn't betray you or Naruto like that. I-"

Sasuke raised an index finger, prompting her to pause her little rant. "I know, Sakura. I never suspected you. There's more going on than you think. Naruto and I will explain later. For now, just let us take care of things."

She bit her lip, fixing her gaze on the road. "I'm sorry for how I reacted yesterday. I feel so embarrased by how I handled it. I've honestly come to terms with how things are between us. I just want you to know that even though we'll never be anything more than friends, I'm okay with that. Your friendship is too important to me for it to be ruined over jealousy. And I'm okay with you and Naruto being together. You two have always been on a whole other level, I should have seen this coming." She smiled a little and pushed her hair behind her ear.

Sasuke returned her smile. "Thank you, Sakura. But, perhaps, I should be the one to apologize. I was very rude to you, and you had every right to snap at me."

"Can we just agree to put it behind us?" She asked, eye's softening.

"Yes. I think that would be nice." He agreed, and began to turn away. "I've got to get going now, but, as promised, we'll all talk about what's happening later. Although, by then you may already know." She nodded to him as he continued on his way.

When Sasuke finally reached the clinic, he took a seat in the waiting room. Not a minute had passed before he was summoned and he entered his therapist's offiice with confidence, sitting with his legs crossed, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Good morning, Sasuke." She said, smiling. "How are you feeling today?"

"Fine, thank you." He said, dispassionately. He flicked away some fuzz from his pants and glanced out the window.

"I heard some interesting gossip on my way to work this morning." She said, adjusting her glasses. "I felt I should mention it, considering you were the focal point of the rumors."

"Oh?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "What did you hear?"

"Well," She cleared her throat. "It seems you've entered a relationship with someone."

"Have I?"

"With a man."

"Well, that certainly is interesting. I can see why people would be talking about that." He smirked, crossing his arms.

"Do you deny these accusations, Sasuke?"

"I don't actually. They're quite true. I'm involved with a man. Is this an issue?"

His therapist sighed, clicking her pen and scribbling something down in her folder. "Sasuke, homosexuality is a perversion. It's quite likely a result of your trauma. I'm afraid your mental state is even worse that I had originally thought it to be."

"What about my partner? Does this make him mentally unstable as well?"

"Well, manipulation is also a trait you may have acquired from your trauma."

"So, you think I've manipulated him into being with me?"

"I believe it's possible that you may have not given him a choice. He may be a victim of your perversion."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but, isn't your job to help me? I fail to see how insulting me and pointing out all of my flaws is supposed to help me. And, on top of that, it certainly doesn't seem right for you to accuse me of manipulating people because of my mental state. You can't blame everything on my trauma." His voice was calm, but his eyes were dark and threatening.

She shifted in her seat and narrowed her eyes. "Are you really in any position to critisize my methods? I'm only trying to help you understand the severity of your condition."

"Well, you've haven't done anything to help me." He said flatly. "But, the man I'm involved with helps me quite a bit. He makes me want to be a better person. As my therapist, you should encourage a relationship like that, shouldn't you? But, because two men being together is 'weird' you can't just let me be happy with him?"

"I do encourage the relationship. As long as it's platonic. But, a sexual relationship...between two men, well, that's just wrong. And, it certainly isn't healthy either."

"Is that so?" He asked calmly. "Well what does this mean, then? How do we fix this and make me 'normal'?"

"I'll have to up your dosage and perhaps increase your therapy sessions." She said, returning to the folder, gliding her pen across.

"Up my dosage?" He raised an eyebrow. "That could kill me, couldn't it?"

"What do you mean?" She paused, her grip tightening around the pen.

"It was suppressing so much of my chakra already, to up the dosage would weaken me to the point I could die. I have a feeling it wasn't only suppressing it, but eating away at it as well." He smirked, eyes narrowed.

"It's only a mood stabalizer, Sasuke. It doesn't affect your chakra." She said, struggling to remain calm. A bead of sweat formed on her forehead as she tapped her nails against the desk.

"Can I get a second opinon?" He asked, voice raised. "Tsunade?"

The door creaked open, the fifth Hokage entering with a wicked grin on her fair face. She shut the door behind her and leaned against Sasuke's seat, a scroll in her hand. The therapist's eyes widened as her lips parted slightly in surprise.

"I was curious about the medication you prescribed to Sasuke." Tsunade said, examining her nails. "So, I decided to take a look at the formula used to make it." She tossed the scroll into the air, catching it with her other hand. "A strong chakra supressant which eats away at the chakra the more active the user becomes. Very interesting. Although, I can't seem to understand why you would give this to a comrade of the Hidden Leaf Village. Something like this would be given to an enemy, don't you think?"

"I had no idea this was happening." She said defensively, fidgeting with her pen. "Someone else must be behind this. I'm his therapist, my job is to help Sasuke, not hurt him."

"You keep saying that." Sasuke sighed. "But we all know you're a fucking liar."

She bit her lip and tried to refrain from breaking her pen in half. "Maybe." She said, scowling at Sasuke's calmness. "But at least I never betrayed my own village."

"Oh, but you have." Tsunade interjected. "By going behind the Hokage and the council's backs to harm a citizen of the Leaf." Her eyes darkened as she glared at the woman. "Sai!"

Loose papers flew from the desk as Sai flickered into sight from behind it. He smiled at Sasuke's therapist before cuffing her.

"Good morning." He said, still smiling. "You sure have caused a lot of trouble for my friend, here."

Sasuke rolled his eyes but kept his smirk in place. Since when were they friends? Oh well. At that moment, Sai didn't seem all that bad.

"You're really going to take his side?!" She shouted, face turning red.

"Don't worry." Sai said cheerfully. "You'll have a chance to defend yourself at the trial."

He grabbed her arm, rather forcefully, and pushed her forward. As he led her out the door she glared daggers at Sasuke who remained seated, arms crossed, and smiling wickedly. "This'll teach you to fuck with an Uchiha."

Tsunade laughed and placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "Good job, Kid." She said, smiling down at him. "You outsmarted the old bitch."

~0~o~0~

_What the Hell?_

Naruto frowned as he walked down the street. He was on his way to speak with Kakashi, hoping to catch Sasuke there since he said he'd be visiting him. But, people were acting weird today. Everyone was staring at him, most looking sad or confused. A few people were glaring angrily and one person even fake gagged as he passed him.

_Those eyes..._

_They're the same as before..._

_Oh no!_

His chest tightened as realization hit him. They knew. Somehow, between last night and now, word had gotten out. But, that fast? He began to panic when he thought about Sasuke. Had Sasuke found out about this yet? It was pretty early in the day still, so maybe Sasuke hadn't gone into town yet.

Would they have chased him out? Would Sasuke have gotten angry enough to leave?

Without even saying goodbye?

Would Naruto have to search for him and knock some sense into the stubborn bastard?

_Fuck!_

He tried to calm himself down and focused on his feet as he walked. First, he'd talk to Kakashi to find out what was going on and then he'd worry about Sasuke. He was probably overthinking things anyway. Kakashi promised he'd fix things and Naruto was holding him to it.

"Naruto!" The blond whipped around to find Konohamaru running towards him. He skidded to a halt in front of him and grabbed the front of Naruto's jacket. There was a pained look in his eyes, and Naruto felt his heart drop into his stomach.

"Hey, Konohamaru. What's-"

"Is it true?!" He blurted out. "Are you really with...Sasuke?"

"Uh..." Naruto lowered his head, scratching the bridge of his nose.

"You are, aren't you?"

"Yeah..."

Konohamaru released Naruto's jacket and took a step back, looking him directly in the eyes. "But, I don't understand, big brother."

"It's hard to explain, ya know." Naruto tried to smile.

"But, the sexy jutsu! I thought you liked curvy woman!"

"Well, I still think woman are beautiful, but, it's not about that. It's...he's...well, it goes deeper than just what's on the outside."

"But two men can't be together can they?" He asked, brows furrowed. "Big brother, I don't understand! This is so weird! And, Sasuke? I thought he was just your friend! None of this makes any sense."

Naruto fought to keep his composure. Konohamaru had always looked up to him. Would that change now? It broke his heart to think of the boy being dissappointed in him or worst, disgusted. How was he supposed to explain something like this to a kid? Would he understand when he got older?

"Hey, I'm still the same old Naruto, ya know." He said, ruffling Konohamaru's hair. "I'm still going to help you with jutsu just like before and I'm definitely still your rival. This won't change anything, kay? I know it's weird and confusing, trust me, I know. But, maybe someday you'll understand it."

The younger boy bit his lip. He was really confused. He'd never imagined Naruto, or anyone he knew for that matter, to be with another man. People made jokes about homosexuality and it wasn't like it was unheard of, but it definitely wasn't common. And, this was Naruto. His older brother figure and life-long rival.

"Okay." He said quietly. "Just promise me you'll always be the same Naruto, kay?"

"I promise, Konohamaru." He flashed a bright grin. "And I never go back on my word!"

Naruto almost jumped about a foot in the air when a hand fell onto his shoulder. "What the fuck?!" He exclaimed, turning to find a smirking Uchiha.

"Finally found you." He said cooly.

Konohamaru blushed furiously and swallowed, looking back and forth between the two.

"Don't scare me like that, bastard!" Naruto said, clutching his heart.

"Some shinobi you are." Sasuke snorted. "Getting worked up over the smallest surprises. You should be ready for anything and always remain calm in the face of danger. Usuratonkachi."

"Whatever, jerk. Where the hell were you?"

"Taking care of some business after speaking with Kakashi. One down." Sasuke smirked triumphantly and placed a hand on his hip. "Just four more to go."

"No fucking way! You serious?" Naruto's eyes sparkled as he laughed. "That's awesome! You gotta fill me in!"

"Later. We shouldn't discuss such matters in front of the kid." He nodded towards Konohamaru. "Besides, I promised Sakura we'd explain everything later so I might as well just kill two birds with one stone."

"Oh, right." Naruto blushed, scratching the back of his head as he glanced at his little rival.

"The kid knows doesn't he?" Sasuke asked, examining the awkward way Konohamaru was looking at them.

"Hey! Don't talk about me like I'm not here!" He pouted. "And, yeah I know."

"Hm. Gossip sure spreads fast around here." The raven mused.

"And just so ya know, if you're mean to my big bro, I'll test out my jutsu on your jerk face!" He crossed him arms and narrowed his eyes.

This actually got a small chuckle out of the Uchiha. Heat spread through Naruto's cheeks, loving the sound of Sasuke's laugh and happy at the fact that Konohamaru had just defended him. He was beginning to feel like maybe things really were going to turn out just fine in the end, after all.

"Hn." Said Sasuke. "I'll make you a deal, kid. If I hurt Naruto, you can come at me full force and I'll accept my fate."

"You sure ya wanna make that kinda bet?" Konohamaru asked, eyes darkening. "Naruto taught me a high-level jutsu and we've been practicing with other ones too. I'm getting really strong, so you better watch out!"

"Oh yeah? What high-level jutsu has he taught you?"

"The Rasengan! And I've already mastered it, too!" He bragged, sharing a look with the blond.

Sasuke looked impressed, he turned to Naruto. "He's mastered the Rasengan?"

"He even beat one of the Peins with it." Naruto said proudly, ruffling the boy's hair.

"That's right!" Konohamaru said, nodding with pride. "I took on one of the Peins and beat him so I could totally take you, too!"

"Well then I suppose it's a good thing that Naruto has someone as strong as you to look out for him. You should train with us sometime. I'm sure I can teach you plenty of things that Naruto could never dream of doing." He smirked at the offended blond and caught Konohamaru's eyes widening.

"You'd really let me train with you guys?" He asked excitedly.

"Sure." Said Sasuke. "But, for now, we should really be on our way." He placed a hand on Naruto's back and led him away.

"Bye, Konohamaru!"

"Bye! Don't forget to train with me!" Konohamaru waved excitedly as he watched them walk away.

Naruto smiled to himself as he walked alongside Sasuke. His boyfriend was in a particularily good mood and he could sense his calmness just by being near him. Things must be going smoothly, he thought.

"So that one person...was it your therapist?" He asked, watching Sasuke's eyes gleam.

"Yes." He said, smirking.

"Wow! That's so cool! What happened?" Naruto threw a fist in the air, grinning.

"Tsunade helped me call her out on her shit. She even brought the scroll that contained the ingrediants used to make my prescription, and Sai arrested her."

"Awesome! But, how come Sai's the one who arrested her?"

"He made a request to Kakashi to be allowed to do it. Since he's an ANBU, they let him." He shrugged and smiled politely at a passerby who scowled at him.

"So he wanted to be the one to do it? See, I told you that Sai was a good guy!"

"Doesn't make him any less weird. But, yes, I can see now what you were talking about before. He's not so bad after all."

"So...," Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Does this mean you'll stay?"

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about." Sasuke sighed, turning onto a path that led into a patch of woods. "I need you to be mature about this, though."

"That doesn't sound good." Naruto frowned, feeling his heartbeat quicken.

"Naruto. I was offered a position with Orochimaru in his lab. My old team is working with him and-"

"What?! No!" Naruto stopped dead in his tracks, turning towards Sasuke, eyes wide. "You can't seriously be considerin' somethin' like that! No way am I gonna let you-"

"Shut up, dobe. Let me finish." He narrowed his eyes at the blond. Naruto bit his lip and dropped his head. "I won't let him use me. And, I refuse to be a part of anything that will harm others. In fact, if he is up to anything he shouldn't be, I'll report it to the Leaf. With me there with him, the Leaf can keep track of both of us easily, and more importantly, I can keep an eye on Orochimaru."

"Did you tell Kakashi about this plan?" Naruto asked, his voice cracking.

"Both him and the council. It was approved."

"But, Sasuke! You can't leave me! Please, just-"

"Calm down. This is only a last resort option." He placed a finger underneath Naruto's chin, tilting his head upwards to meet his eyes. "I won't leave you unless I need to. For your sake, and for the peace of the village."

"We'll make them accept you!" Naruto said desperately, tears forming at the corners of his eyes.

"I'm counting on that." Sasuke sighed, placing a soft kiss to the blond's forehead. "I believe in you. I do. But, I also need to consider every outcome. You understand that, right?"

"Well, there's only one outcome." He said, confidence ringing his voice. "You're staying here, with me."

"I hope so." Sasuke whispered, pulling Naruto into a hug.

The blond's eyes widened, warmth spreading through his cheeks. The sudden affection threw him off gaurd, although it was certainly welcome. He wrapped his arms around him and squeezed as tight as he could, taking full advantage of the tender moment. He never wanted to let him go, not ever.

Sasuke placed a hand on the back of Naruto's head, gently stroking his blond hair as he listened to him breathe. He closed his eyes and rested his head against the others. Time seemed to stand still and he intended to stay this way as long as he could. The future was unclear, but at least, for the moment, they were together.

_Shing!_

Without warning, Sasuke shoved Naruto to the ground and pulled out a kunai, countering the shuriken that were flying toward them. Leaves rustled above them and he looked up to find four men jumping down from the trees. They were wearing standard Chunin uniforms, their faces covered with cloth masks.

When Naruto spotted them as well, he got to his feet immediately. He instinctively rose his gaurd and pulled out a kunai from his weapons pouch, ready to fight. His eyes intense as he glared at the enemy...enemy that were wearing the uniforms provided by his own village.

"Don't let your gaurd down." Sasuke was standing in front of him, covering part of Naruto's body with his own.

"Yeah, I know." Naruto bit out. Maybe now wasn't the time act like a rival. If there was one thing he'd learned over the years of being a shinobi, it was that team-work would always prevail. He pushed away the thought of Sasuke making him feel inferior, and made a sign with his hands. "Shadow-clone jutsu!" Two more Naruto's appeared, both in a battle-ready fighting stance.

The four chunin raced towards them, weaving around each other as they ran. Sasuke's Sharingan let him follow their movements easily, although they were a little too fast for Naruto to keep track of. As if on cue, all four men threw multiple shuriken at the same time, two of them flickering and vanishing as the other two continued foward.

Naruto sensed the other two behind him and quickly got out of the way seconds before they could attack. Sasuke battled the other two, dipping down and spinning around them as he fought with tai-jutsu. As skilled as their enemy was, the situation didn't seem to call for anything more than that. They weren't considerably threatening, however, the fact that members of their own village had attacked them was infuriating.

Naruto's shadow clones were quickly beaten and the real Naruto jumped into the fight. He managed to cut one of the men's cheeks with his kunai and stab the other in the side. The stab wound was deep enough that the man doubled over in pain and backed out of the fight to heal it. He glanced over at Sasuke to catch him knocking one of his opponents out with a brutal, yet somehow graceful, kick to the temple. Naruto spun back around just in time to block an attack from the man with the injured cheek and cursed under his breath for lowering his gaurd.

From behind him, Naruto heard a sharp cry and then abrupt silence. Since the cry hadn't come from Sasuke, he focused on his opponent. He dodged attack after attack until he gained the upper hand and grabbed the enemy's arm, twisting him around and pinning him to the ground, a kunai pressed to the back of his neck.

He looked up to see Sasuke in a similar position with his own opponent. The other man wincing as Sasuke shoved his face into the dirt, blood was soaking through the man's flack jacket and the handle to a kunai-knife was protruding from between his shoulder-blades. Naruto cringed at the sight. Man, that had to hurt like a bitch.

"Tell me," Sasuke said, an icy chill in his calm voice. "What prompted you to attack members of your own village?"

The man beneath him spat blood into the dirt and glared at him through the corner of his eye, a scowl tugging at his features. "We'll never accept you. Fucking scum-bag."

Sasuke turned his head, sharing a look with Naruto. "You'll never stop, will you?" He asked, continuing to watch Naruto's face. "No matter what Naruto says or what Kakashi says, I will never be welcome here. Isn't that right?"

"It doesn't matter what Naruto says anymore. I respected his opinion of you at first-" The man began coughing voilently, blood spilling from his lips and dripping onto the ground. "But now you've got him corrupted. You're both perverted freaks and..." He trailed off, coughing and breathing laborously.

The man being held down by Naruto had taken notice of his distraction and attempted to make a move. However, Naruto caught it in time and shoved his face into the ground, tightening his grip on the man's wrists.

"Oh, no you don't." He growled. "Sasuke, what do we do with these guys?"

Suddenly, Naruto felt a sharp pain in his back, warmth trickling down from the wound. Several more shuriken flew towards him, and thinking quickly, he used a replacement jutsu, leaving a log sitting utop the enemy he had held down.

"Naruto! How could you be so careless?" Sasuke snapped at him. He shoved his elbow into the back of his opponent's head, causing the man to pass out.

"I forgot about that one! Fuck!" Naruto felt so stupid and the flush in his cheeks was proof of that. Sasuke rolled his eyes at him and charged towards the freshly healed enemy.

It didn't take much for Sasuke to get the upper hand and land a blow to the man's gut that had him down on his knees instantly. He took hold of the man's head and forced his knee into the enemy's forehead. The man let out a strangled cry before he dropped to the ground. Sasuke placed a foot on the man's back as he turned to find Naruto pinning his opponent to a tree, his arm firmly pressed against his throat.

"We'll take them back to Kakashi." Sasuke answered Naruto's earlier question. "He can deal with them."

~0~o~0~

Four bodies dropped to the floor with loud thuds and Kakashi shook his head. He stared down at the bodies with tired eyes and hunched shoulders. This was getting to be a real pain in the ass.

"They attacked you, huh?"

"No. We just like knocking people out and dropping their unconscious bodies in your office." Replied Sasuke, sounding bored.

"An odd hobby. Could cause some issues." Kakashi sighed, rubbing his face.

Naruto bit his lip, his gaze fixed on the pile of bodies. He had come so far and had worked so hard to gain the respect of the village. Slowly, everyone had come to accept him, and, after he defeated Pein, people even reffered to him as a hero. After the war, the admiration had grown even bigger, reaching out to other countries as well. Things had really begun to look up for him, he really was on his way to becoming Hokage. He knew it, everyone knew it.

But, now, he was starting to face the reality that Sasuke had been right. Would something like this really affect his future so greatly? Would he not become Hokage simply because he was with another man? It seemed petty, and definitely didn't seem fair at all.

"Hey. Earth to Naruto. You listening?" Kakashi waved a hand in front of Naruto's spaced out face.

"Huh?"

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow as Kakashi sighed. "Figures. The fact that you haven't thrown a tantrum yet is proof enough that you haven't been listening."

"Throw a tantrum? Why would I do that? What were you guys talkin' about?" He scratched the back of his head, observing Sasuke's stoic expression. He felt his heart sink, whatever this was about, it probably wasn't good.

"Naruto," Sasuke started, sharing a quick look with Kakashi. "I'm going to Orochimaru."

"W-what?" Yeah, definitely not good. "But why? I thought you said you would wait to see if Kakashi's plan works and-"

"Naruto, there's no point. That attack was proof that I cannot co-exist with the Hidden Leaf. It doesn't matter what anyone says, these people have their own views and they won't be easily swayed. It's just better this way."

Naruto's fists clenched, his eyes darkening, as he locked eyes with Sasuke. "No." He said firmly. "That's not what's happening."

The raven sighed and shook his head. "Naruto-"

"Shut up and listen to me." He growled. "I'm not letting you give up that easily. No way in Hell. So, this is what we're gonna do. If you really insist on leavin' if the village can't be persuaded or whatever, then I'll go with you to Orochimaru's and-"

"You're not coming with me." Sasuke snapped, his eyes narrowed.

"Shut up! I'll go with you to check things out. We'll figure out what he wants with you and what he's up to. I want to make sure I can trust him, I just need to know that if it comes to that, I'll feel okay about you bein' there. Then, we'll come back here and check with Kakashi to see how things went. And, if it didn't work out, and I can't do anything about it either, then you can leave. I know I can't control you if that's truly what you want. But, you have to at least let Kakashi give it a shot first."

Sasuke looked thoughtful and was about to say something when Kakashi spoke up. "I like that idea, actually. It's about time we sent someone to check on him anyway. And if it'll make Naruto feel better about the situation, and confirm that you'll be safe there, then I approve."

Naruto perked up and turned his attention back to Sasuke. "So? What do you think? Is this fair?"

The raven hesitated, chewing the inside of his lip as he gave the plan some thought. He could sense Naruto's impatience and anxiety growing bigger and when he finally made up his mind, he smirked and placed a hand on the blond's shoulder.

"We better get packing."

**A/N: I know this chapter's kinda short, but there's a lot happening in the next one so just bare with me here. **


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Ah, hello my lovelies. I'm a little bit very late. Again. I've been going through kind of a funk, I wish I had a better excuse for you but that's really it. I've just been dealing with some personal shit and life and, you know, all of that garbage. Anyway, I just want to give a shoutout to all the babes who reviewed, favorited, or followed this story so far (and in the future), you guys make writing so satisfying. I fucking love the shit out of you guys. Seriously. Hugs for all of you. **

**DISCLAIMER: Kishi-sensei owns the rights to the Naruto franchise, yo. **

~0~o~0~

It was late in the afternoon when Suigetsu had come to Sasuke's house. Naruto was waiting there with him, his weapon pouches freshly packed, and sporting all of his ninja gear. Suigetsu hadn't seemed to be all that surprised to find him there and simply shrugged when Sasuke had informed him of their tag-along.

It only took a few hours to arrive at the base. Naruto was both relieved and slightly disappointed that they hadn't run into any danger along the way. After all, he was raised as a shinobi and the lack of action these days was beginning to make him restless. Although, there were more important matters to attend to, so he didn't dwell on it.

He followed along behind Sasuke and Suigetsu as they followed a descending path leading to the base's entrance. It was partially hidden by large boulders and some forestry, crickets singing their songs of the night in the background as the moon lit their path. The two in front of him seemed very relaxed and cool, while Naruto was looking around in curiousity and swallowing nervously. No matter how tough the blond acted, Orochimaru still really creeped him the fuck out. Hence the reason he was so opposed to Sasuke joining his ranks again.

When they finally reached the entrance, Suigetsu made a hand-sign which caused the large double doors to creak open, and signaled for the other two to follow. Naruto hesitated at first, his lack of motion alerting Sasuke. The raven simply turned his head and winked at him, smirking. Naruto took that as an effort of comfort on the Uchiha's part. The action itself didn't make him feel the slightest bit better, but the fact that Sasuke had even attempted to ease his mind got his feet moving.

Naruto followed the two down a twisting hallway that led to a big open room. It looked almost like a lounge of some sort. There were sofas and tables carefully organized around the room and several taper candles flickering around them. Was that vanilla and lavender he smelled? He stood next to Sasuke in the center of the room while Suigetsu wandered off to alert Orochimaru of their arrival. Although, he could probably already sense them by now. But, whatever.

He took Sasuke's hand in his own and squeezed it. He was feeling much more nervous than he thought he would be. There was this strange feeling in the pit of his stomach that he just couldn't shake. Like, that feeling one gets when something big is about to happen but to place the reasoning for it is impossible. He sifted through his memories of the pale snake-man, and couldn't imagine a way for someone like him to be non-threatening. After everything he'd done, was it really possible that he had truly changed?

Approaching footsteps snapped Naruto out of his thoughts. He and Sasuke turned to find Orochimaru and Suigetsu emerging from a dark hallway, the candlelight flickering across their obscured figures. Orochimaru greeted the both of them with a wide grin and a nod. He embraced Sasuke, pulling the less than enthusiastic raven into an awkward hug.

"Sasuke-kun!" He stepped back, smiling. "How nice of you to come see me." Now that he was closer, and could be examined more properly, his appearance was different than the two remembered. He looked a little younger. And, slightly more feminine. The change was very slight, but noticeable nonetheless.

"You're the one who summoned me." He deadpanned. "Let's skip the small talk and get straight to the point. What's this about? What are you trying to achieve with your experiments and why are you requesting my permission to use my DNA?"

"Ah, and you've brought Naruto-kun with you as well! What a nice surprise. Would the two of you care for a lemon square?" He grinned and placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, an action that earned him a scowl and a bone crushing grip on his wrist from a fuming Uchiha.

"Lemon squares?" Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"See? You see? I told you!" Suigetsu called from the other side of the room.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, his expression darkening. "You're dodging the question. What's going on? Just what the hell are you up to?"

"As impatient as ever." Orochimaru smirked and gestured toward a hallway. "This way."

He led them away, following the dark path for several minutes before he opened a thick metal door and nodded an invitation to enter. Once inside the room, Naruto and Sasuke took in their surroundings. There were several operating tables and countertops adorned with various medical tools, viles, and test tubes with interesting colored liquid inside of them. There was a faint humming sound coming from some machinery with flashing red buttons.

"What is this?" Sasuke asked, turning towards the snake-man.

"This is my laboratory." Orochimaru stated simply. He approached one of the tables and picked up a thick scroll that looked as though it had seen better days. "I've been doing some research."

"Yeah, with DNA. I know that much. But what is it you're using it for?" Sasuke crossed his arms, an eyebrow raised.

"Well, simply put, I've been dabbling in the world of cloning." He smiled, unrolling the scroll and scanning it's contents. "I've still got a long way to go, but I've discovered that I can make human clones using DNA. The problem is, every experiment I've tried has failed. The fetus would be disfigured in some kind of way or wouldn't develop at all."

"So what does that mean?" Sasuke asked.

"I believe it's because I haven't used DNA with strong enough genes. That's where you come in."

"So, you want to clone me?" Sasuke's jaw tightened. He felt Naruto tense beside him.

"You're a pure-blood Uchiha. Your genes are strong and would most likely be dominant in reproduction. You're the perfect subject for my experimentation. Mind you, I'm only doing this to collect information and to further my research. I've no need for a clone of you. Well, I suppose I'd be lying if I said I couldn't think of some uses...but, I'd rather not piss off the five great nations after somewhat gaining their trust. I'm done with the villain role, Sasuke-kun. I'm simply a curious man with a passion for experimenting and learning." He licked his lips, setting the scroll aside.

"So, if you don't need the clone, what are you planning on doing with it if it's a success?"

"Well, if it's a success, the clone will start out as a fetus and grow at a normal human rate. In other words, I'll be creating an actual human life without a woman's womb. It would be a breakthrough in medical science! Imagine woman who are unable to concieve given another option. And the child would be a clone of her, or her spouse, so it would inherit any bloodline traits passed down in the family. Or a man who's partner has died in battle will be able to pass on his family name-"

"That's all very fascinating. But, you're dodging my question again. What do you plan to do with the clone?"

Orochimaru blinked, a frown tugging at his lips. "Well, isn't it obvious? I'd let you keep it."

"Let me...keep it?" Sasuke asked, confusion covering his face. "What the hell would I do with a clone of myself?"

"Well, it wouldn't be an exact clone of you. It would only look similar to you. Besides it's physical appearance, it would have a mind of it's own. It's not artificial intelligence, Sasuke-kun, it's an actual human life that thinks for itself and has no difference from any normally concieved person."

"Wait..." Naruto's eyes widened. "Are you sayin' it would just end up bein' a baby? Like, a real baby that someone could raise as their own kid? It's not like when I make a shadow clone and another 'me' appears...it would be just like if a woman had a baby? There's no difference?"

"Precisely." Orochimaru nodded. "But it could take a few years to develop. After all, this isn't exactly simple. By the time it would develop into a fully functioning human baby, you'd both be the proper age to take on the responsibility."

Naruto and Sasuke immediatly looked at each other.

"What are you implying?" Sasuke asked, eyebrow raised.

"Oh, please." Orochimaru rolled his eyes. "As if I didn't know. I thought you'd be thrilled to be offered this opportunity. Obviously two men cannot reproduce on their own. So, I'm giving you the chance to have a child. A chance you'd never have otherwise."

Naruto's jaw dropped. His heartbeat picked up a speed he feared would go into overdrive and kill him. "Seriously?"

Sasuke frowned. "How did you know?"

"Suigetsu." Orochimaru nodded towards the doorway where the white-haired man stood examining his nails. He looked up and waved a hand, grinning.

"I mean, it's kind of fucked up, but whatever." He shrugged.

"So." Orochimaru said, re-focusing his attention on Sasuke. "You help me, and I'll help you. Do we have a deal? You've always said you wanted to restore your clan. You can't do that with Naruto-kun unless you take up my offer."

Sasuke glanced at Naruto to find him frozen and speechless. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "While the offer is tempting, I can't accept it just yet." He said, placing his hands on his hips. "There's a good chance I won't be able to be with Naruto. In fact, I may not be welcome in Konoha at all. If this happens, I can join you here and help with your experiments as long as they aren't harming anyone and you aren't up to anything. So, as of now, I'm unsure of what my future may hold."

"I see." Orochimaru nodded. "I had a feeling something like this might happen. You know, Naruto-kun is welcome to join us as well."

"Suigetsu was sure to inform you of my private life but failed to mention my current situation with Konoha. Typical." Sasuke shook his head. "And, I'm sorry, but there is no way I'd let Naruto come here with me. He's going to be Hokage one day. He needs to stay in the village."

"I don't want to be Hokage if you're not there with me!" Naruto's fists shook, he stared at the tiled floor. "I want to go where you go, Sasuke!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sasuke grabbed the blond's arm, forcing him to meet his eyes. "This is your dream. Don't let me hold you back, idiot. Besides, I'll be close by so it isn't like you'll never see me again. Don't be dramatic."

"But how can I be Hokage if I can't even help one person be accepted? How will I keep an entire village together if I can't even do anything about this one little problem? I don't deserve to be Hokage if I can't fix this one thing! Besides, the vision I have for the future involves you! I want you there so we can work together! If you're banned from Konoha how could that happen? If I were Hokage I couldn't just go behind the village's back and work with someone they don't trust, that isn't right even if I know they're wrong...they would feel betrayed...Sasuke, I-"

"Enough!" Sasuke tightened his grip on the blond. "Forget about me."

"I don't want us to be seperated! Please just-"

"Shut up, Naruto. I'm done talking about this." He released Naruto's arm and turned back to Orochimaru. "I'll help you with whatever you want, as long as it isn't a threat to anyone. If I get banned from Konoha, you'll let me stay here?"

"Of course, I'd be happy to have you back, Sasuke-kun." Orochimaru grinned.

"I swear if you hurt him..." Naruto forced through gritted teeth. He'd never forgive the bastard for what he did to Sasuke. A heat spread through his body, his fists shaking, jaw clenched. The idea of letting Sasuke come back here was infuriating. And Sasuke seemed to be perfectly fine with it. How the hell could he accept that?

"I know we have a not-so-great history, Naruto-kun. But, rest assured, you can trust Sasuke-kun being here. Besides, he's a big boy, surely you know that he can handle himself. And with as close of an eye Konoha is keeping on me, I couldn't betray them if I wanted to. And, you're welcome to visit any time."

"Whatever." Naruto grumbled, his eyes fixed on the tiles.

"Now, if you like, I have a spare room. You can stay here for the night." Orochimaru offered. He smirked at the notice of Naruto's scowl and Sasuke's nod.

"That would be for the best. I'd like to wait until Kakashi's carried out his plan before we go back." Sasuke said, ignoring Naruto's obvious disagreement.

"Wonderful. Well, I'm sure the two of you have a lot to talk about, so I'll just show you to your room." He smirked and headed towards the door. "Right this way."

~0~o~0~

"You gotta be fuckin' kiddin' me!" Naruto shouted, throwing his weapons pouch across the bare room.

Candlelight flickered across Sasuke's face, his features slightly distorted but the stony disposition did not go unnoticed.

"You don't even care do you? I almost think you'd rather stay here...after everything he did...and you're totally cool with comin' back here and bein' some fucking lab rat?! Why is this okay? Of all people, you should be the last one to want to work with him!"

"You're an idealistic child. Grow up." Sasuke growled. He pulled his shirt over his head and folded it, setting it utop his gear in one corner of the room. He sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, pulling off his sandles.

"Why are you so calm? I just don't get it...how could you even consider comin' back? Isn't there any other option?"

"If there was another option, I'd take it. Coming back here isn't exactly appealing to me, Naruto. You know why I've made this decision. I hate repeating myself, so I'm not going to. You're just going to have to trust me."

"You're not the one I got a problem trusting! It's that creepy bastard I don't trust! He's just going to use you!"

"Do you take me for a fool, Naruto?" If looks could kill...

"Well, he was able to manipulate you once..."

"I was a twelve year old fucking kid! And, maybe you've forgotten, but I'm the one who outsmarted him in the end and went my own way. I'm coming here to keep watch over him and put Konoha's mind at ease. If they can't accept me, or him, then this is the best option. Get rid of the both of us and keep tabs to make sure nothing suspicious is happening. It'll shut the council up and it'll get the villagers off Kakashi's back. What the fuck else can we do?"

"We can convince them that-"

"I'm going to stop you there. Not everything can be fixed with words. Not everything is going to go your way, that's life. You need to stop acting like a child and start thinking like a Hokage, doing what's best for the majority. Face reality, Naruto. We fought to stop Madara's ideals and yet you can't let go of your own." He was standing now, practically nose to nose with the blond.

Naruto bit his lip, shoving the raven away. "I just wanted you to come back home. That's all I wanted. So fucking sue me if I'm kinda upset about you leavin' again." His body shook slightly, his shoulders slumped and eyes on the floor.

Sasuke's eyes softened. "I'll humor you for a moment and suggest that maybe Kakashi can fix this." Naruto looked up, hope glistening in his eyes. "Maybe we should talk about our future if that happens. Orochimaru was right when he said we had a lot to discuss."

"Yeah..." Naruto whispered.

"So, this offer of his...what do you think of it?"

"Well, I dunno. It's kind of a big deal, right? I mean...having a kid. That's, like, a really big decision, isn't it?" He scratched the back of his head, frowning.

"It is." Sasuke half-smiled. "It's a huge deal. That's why we should talk about it. Do you want kids, Naruto?"

"Are we really talkin' about bein' parents right now?"

"We are."

"Well, yeah, I've always wanted a family." He smiled, locking azure with obsidian.

"And I want to restore my clan."

"But, it's kinda weird to be thinkin' about this right now, isn't it?"

"It is." Sasuke agreed. "It's definitely not something I thought I'd be discussing with you so early in our relationship."

"Crazier things have happened." Naruto smiled. "But it wouldn't be for a few years though, right?"

"I believe that's what he said, yes."

"So it's not like a baby would be thrown into our laps tomorrow. We would have time to mentally prepare and stuff."

"We would."

"I don't know anything about bein' a dad though." Naruto frowned, rubbing the back of his neck. "I have no idea how a family works. What if I suck at parenting?"

Sasuke frowned and grabbed Naruto's wrist. He led him to the bed and sat down on the edge, pulling the blond down with him. He sighed and locked eyes with him. "You have a good sense of right and wrong, you're strong willed, you're loyal and protective, you're kind, and you're compasionate. You'll do great."

"But..what if-"

"Naruto. You'll do great." He repeated firmly. The blond shrugged and sighed. "I mean it. I have more faith in you than I do in myself if I'm being honest."

"I bet you'd be real strict." Naruto chuckled.

"You bet your ass I'll be strict." Sasuke agreed.

"I'd be the favorite for sure." Naruto grinned. "You'd be the scary one and I'd be the fun one."

"As long as one of us isn't afraid to do the diciplining."

"I'd totally dicipline our kid! And, it would be way more intimidating comin' from me 'cause they wouldn't see it comin' since I'm so fun and cool all the time. You're such a serious jerk-face that they'd get used to you bein' strict and it wouldn't even bother 'em anymore!"

"A fair point. I suppose I could mix up the punishments and lectures. Surprise them every time to keep it interesting. I'd definitely be a better teacher though, since I'm better at explaining things. You can't even explain things to yourself, let alone another person." He smirked and crossed his arms, looking as smug as ever.

"Hey! That's so not true! I taught Konohamaru the Rasengan, remember?! I'd be an awesome teacher! You'd probably be real impatient and mean. They'd pick me over you any day." Naruto scrunched his face up, narrowing his eyes.

"Yes, but you and Konohamaru think alike. Anyone else would've been confused. And speaking of training, if we do end up with a kid, you're not teaching it _that_ jutsu."

"But it's my legacy! I have to! It's the greatest jutsu of all time and it's totally useful!"

"How is the sexy-jutsu useful?"

"Distraction! You catch the enemy off gaurd! Works like a charm." He flashed a toothy grin. "The only reason it never worked on you is because you're a total homo."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "It's distasteful."

"You're distasteful." Naruto mocked childishly, sticking out his tongue.

"You think I'm very tasteful, don't lie."

"Kinky." Naruto laughed, punching Sasuke lightly on the shoulder. "So, we're really talking about this." He looked up at the ceiling, an unreadable expression on his face. "It's fun to imagine this stuff, ya know? What it would be like if we could really be together...if we could have a family."

"It's a nice thought." Sasuke agreed, leaning back on his hands. "You know I think the chances of that happening are slim..."

"Yeah. I know." Naruto frowned.

"But, even if it's slim, there still is a chance." He turned towards the blond, taking in his expression and sighing. "No matter what happens tomorrow, you aren't going to lose me. At least, not completely. You know that, right? I won't be far away."

"I liked it better when we were planning for you to be in Konoha." Naruto mumbled. "I don't want to think about that right now."

"I know. It's not something I'm happy about either. But, it's the practical thing for me to do. And it'll be better for you, too."

"...I guess...I, well, I know you're right. You're smarter than me, and, you're more realistic. But, I'm just not one to give up so easily."

"Trust me, I know."

"But, if it comes down to it, and there really is no other way, then just make sure you keep in contact. And, I'll visit you all the time. Don't let Orochimaru do anthing evil or whatever and don't forget about me or who you really are...don't go down the wrong path again..." His voice cracked and tears formed at the corners of his eyes. He could feel his chest tighten and his cheeks become warm. "And please, I'm begging you, don't ever cut yourself again, ya know! If you ever feel like you want to, just tell me and I'll be here as soon as I can and we'll do that thing that releases tension or whatever, like Pervy Sage said, and-"

"Naruto." Sasuke grabbed the blond's hand, squeezing tight. "I give you my word. I won't cut. And, it's not the sex that helps, it's you. As long as you're a part of my life, I can find the strength I need. Seeing how much I hurt you by doing that to myself, I think that's what really made me never want to do it again. If I ever feel tempted, I'll just imagine your pathetic sniveling face, okay?"

"Jerk." Naruto wiped the tears away with his sleeve and smiled. "You really won't do that anymore though?"

"I promise you."

Naruto found comfort in his words, the clear honesty solidifying his trust. He took in his expression, searching for an indication of how he was really feeling. Reading Sasuke had never been an easy feat, not even for him. But, somehow, he could always guess his mood by something he couldn't quite explain. Vibes? He wasn't sure what it was exactly, but sometimes he could feel what Sasuke felt without being able to see it on his face or in his body language.

That was just how they worked. They connected in a way that was much deeper than words or expressions. When they had learned of their reincarnation situation, neither was surprised in the least. If anything, it made everything make sense all of a sudden. They were drawn to each other because their souls were connected, and they could always feel it, but until then, they'd never been able to figure out what it was that made them feel so close despite everything.

Sasuke seemed to be reading his expression too. The both of them remained silent, just taking each other in. Naruto could feel sadness in the air. A sadness that filled him, threatening to overflow like a glass of water that was about to spill over. Whatever it was that Sasuke was thinking, he knew he shared more of what he felt than the raven would ever admit out loud. He could just sense it. He knew this calm demeanor was a mask, a mask that hid the fear and the anxiety that emanated from him.

He wanted nothing more than to kill that sadness. He wanted to take all of it from Sasuke, and endure it himself, if that's what it took. Anything to keep Sasuke from hurting. In that moment, he desperately wished to protect him from everything bad in the world. To keep him safe from the darkness, to show him all of the brightest, warmest things in life and to see that smile. That smile that was so incredibly rare and even more beautiful. The smile that could melt away the entire world and be the only thing left, and that would be enough for Naruto. He'd do anything, _anything_, to see that smile.

Suddenly a feeling swelled up inside of him. Something so warm and overwhelming, he felt he could absolutely burst. A feeling he couldn't contain, it bubbled inside of him and pressed against his chest. His heart raced as he scanned Sasuke's face. His skin so fair and delicate, his eyes so sharp and intense that they were intoxicating, and his lips, those lips that were so soft and yet somehow so masculine. Yet, he didn't yearn to kiss him. He didn't long for his touch or anything physically intimate at all. What he felt at that moment was something else. He longed for something more. He wasn't getting turned on, no, that wasn't it. It was a different feeling. A feeling he felt often when Sasuke was around, Hell, even when he wasn't around. Just thinking about him was enough. Then it dawned on him. He knew what that feeling was.

"I love you."

Onyx eyes widened, pale lips parting slightly. "W-what?" His expression was clear now. The mask had vanished. Shock was written everywhere.

"I love you, Sasuke." He said it clearly, confidently. He wasn't nervous at all. Not like one might be during a confession. No. He was certain now of his feelings and he wanted him to know.

He watched as Sasuke's eyes scanned his face. The raven was silent, but clearly thinking. He pressed a hand against Naruto's cheek and leaned in. He could feel his warm breath fanning across his face, their eyes locked on each other's lips.

"I love you too, Naruto."

He pressed their lips together. It was a gentle kiss, one filled with a quiet sort of passion. The kind of passion that was strong and warm but not aggressive in any way. As if their usual hungry desire had transitioned to something softer but not any less intimate. If anything, it felt more intimate than ever. It was pure love.

~0~o~0~

_Well this is it. _

Kakashi ran a hand through his hair as he stared out into the crowd. After Naruto and Sasuke had left the night before, he instructed some Jounin to spread the word of a "big announcement" at noon the next day. He urged them to spread it like wildfire and make it sound important. Well, it worked. There was a sea of people anticipating what their Hokage had to say. Some looked frightened, others looked indifferent. Either way, he thought, they're in for a surprise. He doubted anybody would see this coming.

Now that the time had come, he felt almost...stupid. Was he really trusting himself to make a huge inspiring speech to change the hearts of the entire village? This was really his big trump card? His big master plan to stop the hate? A speech? This was more of Naruto's forte, not his. Okay, now he was freaking himself out. He could do this. Probably. Well, he was putting their loyalty and respect to the test, he was about to find out just how much they valued his opinion.

"Hey." He waved lamely. _Great start, Kakashi. _He wanted to face-palm.

The crowed was awkwardly silent. A few smartass kids said 'hey' back.

"This isn't something I thought I'd ever have to do as Hokage." He said, his voice riging with authority. Suddenly, he was feeling his confidence as a leader come back to him. He just needed to remind himself who he was doing this for. "There's been a major problem here in Konoha and I intend to fix it. But I'll need the cooperation of all of you. I'm going to need you all to be understanding and to trust what I have to say."

He felt the aura change. The crowd had worry painted all over their faces. Clearly, they had the impression that there was some sort of threat they were being warned about. He almost felt bad for freaking them out. But, then again, he sort of didn't.

"I want to talk about Uchiha Sasuke." Chatter errupted immediately following that statement. He could make out some of their words, mostly things like 'I knew it' or 'what's that traitor up to now?'. He sighed and raised his voice. "He is not a threat to this village or any other! He is a comrade of the Hidden Leaf and I expect you all to treat him as such."

Another erruption. There was anger and skeptisism ringing in their voices. This wasn't going well, but he hadn't really expected otherwise.

"Sasuke is a former student of mine. I know him well. And I know more of his struggles than any of you possibly could. I witnessed first hand just how much he contributed to the war and I know of his new outlook on life. I can say with absolute confidence that he is trustworthy. If I had a single doubt in my mind, I wouldn't have allowed him to return to this village. Many of you don't know this..." He sighed. "But there was a time when I took it upon myself to take his life. There was a time when I thought he was too far gone to be saved. But, he's changed. Naruto has changed him and he is a new man."

The mention of Naruto stirred up another ruckus. Disgusted looks and murmurs were all around, the crowd clearly gossiping and voicing their personal opinions of this new found relationship. Kakashi rubbed the back of his head. This was the part he was really dreading. The fact that it was such an issue that he, as Hokage, had to address it publicly just felt sort of strange to him. Definitely not normal Hokage business.

"Which leads me to the next thing I need to talk about." Immediate silence. Well, at least they were obviously ready to hear what he had to say. "I can't believe I even need to talk about this publically. Normally, I'd never consider addressing some petty gossip. But, since the situation escalated so quickly and has even inspired some illegal activity and attacks on Konoha's own comrades, I think I should take a stand." He drew in a sharp breath and exhaled. He looked up with a new intesity in his eyes and raised his voice, booming with authority. "Naruto and Sasuke are to be left alone. Yes, they are in a relationship. No use tiptoeing around the subject or pretending it isn't happening. Because, it is. And everyone knows it. This isn't something to get violent over. If you disagree with it, that's your own personal problem. But to openly express that disagreement in a way that is harmful, will not be tolerated. It's childish to say the least. Love is love. Leave them alone."

The sounds of awkward shuffling and uncertain whispers floated up from the crowd. Their faces holding a mixture of anger and confusion. It was clear to Kakashi that they were reluctant to accept his words so easily. He sighed and snapped his fingers. Immediately following the action, A group of Jonin emerged from behind him, the four criminal ANBU members tied up and being pushed forward.

He didn't like playing the bad guy. But what other option did he have at this point? He was the Hokage, damn it, and he needed to put his foot down.

"This morning I was forced to arrest members of my own ANBU Black Ops." His voiced boomed, surprising even himself. The crowd silenced immediately, mouths shut tightly and eyes wide and observant. "These ANBU are guilty of conspiring against Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto. Despite my wishes, they decided to take it upon themselves to 'take care' of Sasuke and to ruin the reputation of Naruto. Even going as far as physical attacks. As long as I'm Hokage, this sort of behavior will not be tolerated. Anyone caught with similar actions will face the same punishment." He took a breath and scanned the crowd. There wasn't a sound coming from them, every eye was focused on him. "If the council had it their way, this information wouldn't be made public. They'd like for me to keep this under wraps. But, I think it should be known. I think you should know what has been happening and how I feel about this and the punishment that comes with it. I want to prevent this sort of thing from happening in the future."

The silence was broken after a short moment. An uproar of questions and concern finding their way to Kakashi's overwhelmed ears.

"Okay, fine, they're gay. But what about Sasuke?"

"We're really meant to accept Sasuke's criminal status?"

"How can we trust that traitor so easily?"

"You're just bias because he was your student!"

"He'll betray us again!"

Kakashi rubbed his temples. So many words tangling and weaving through his mind, creating a pounding headache that he really didn't need right now. Of course they'd be this stubborn. He'd thought he was prepared for this. Apparently, not prepared enough. He needed to do something about this, right now. He was about to do something he didn't think he'd have to resort to. Something he knew had to be a last-ditch effort. But, it had come to that.

The council was going to rip him apart for this.

But, this was the right thing to do. After all, was it really fair to keep this secret? What was that old saying? History repeats itself? Yes. It had to be made public. He didn't want this cycle of hatred to continue, there was something to be learned from this. He had to make them understand.

_This is for you, Sasuke. God, I hope this works..._

_Please, let this work..._

"It's time you all knew the truth." He inhaled sharply, bracing himself. "You need to know the truth about Uchiha Itachi and what drove Sasuke to do the things he did. This is what really happened all those years ago, when the once powerful Uchiha clan was massacred."


End file.
